Yquem - Sauternes 2015

Decanter.com

99

byAndy Howard MWthe11/5/2019

A profound, memorable Yquem that has huge intensity and concentration, amazing purity and crystalline fruits, and an impeccable balance between sweetness, acidity and structure. Despite its power, it can be enjoyed now, or kept 50+ years. A blend of 80% Semillon and 20% Sauvignon Blanc, with 144g/l of residual sugar, this may not quite have the ethereal lift of 2001 or 2007 but it’s a stunning wine.

Vinous

94

byNeal Martinthe7/10/2019

The 2015 d'Yquem feels a little disjointed on the nose at first, but it coalesces nicely to reveal smoke, dried honey, saffron and orange rind aromas. The palate is well balanced with a viscous opening, the acidity nicely judged with lime, orange rind and quince toward the finish that shuts down quickly. Some readers may be surprised by my score, but Yquem often closes down and consequently suffers in blind tastings like this. It will surely come back but it will need cellaring to show its rip-roaring best. Tasted blind at the Southwold 2015 Bordeaux tasting.

Wine Advocate

100

byLisa Perrotti-Brownthe4/27/2018

Following a very long harvest stretching nearly two months, the 2015 Château d'Yquem came in at 13.9% alcohol and 144 grams per liter of residual sugar, sporting a pH of 3.65 and six grams per liter of tartaric acid. None of these numbers, however, even remotely begin to tell you how profound this wine is. The nose opens with electric notes of ripe pineapples, green mango, orange blossoms and lemon tart with hints of fungi, lime zest, crushed rocks and jasmine. The freshness on the palate is just astonishing, permeating and lifting layer upon layer of tropical fruits and earthy notions, all encased in a sumptuous texture and culminating in a very, very long, mineral-tinged finish. Truly, this is a legendary vintage for d'Yquem. I've been conservative with my drinking window here, and I would not be at all surprised if our descendants are drinking this vintage well into the next century.

Jamessuckling.com

99

byJames Sucklingthe4/1/2018

This is a very powerful yet at the same time bright and dry d’Yquem. Full-bodied, sweet yet phenolic and layered. Love the combination between tannin and sweetness. The purity and beauty are incredible; it’s the freshness and lightness that make this wine, yet the depth and richness are undeniable.

Vinous

98

byAntonio Gallonithe2/27/2018

The 2015 d'Yquem is without question one of the wines of the vintage. Just as alluring from bottle as it was from barrel, the 2015 is a wine that engages all of the senses, from the intellectual to the more hedonistic. Lilting notes of pineapple, mint, orange peel and white flowers grace the palate, but it is the wine's sense of balance and total harmony that impress most. In 2015, Yquem had its earliest start to the harvest since 1893. Even so, the winemaking team did a magnificent job of preserving freshness. The 2015 was fermented in 100% new oak, and residual sugar is 145 grams per liter, but great wine is never about numbers. Above all else, the 2015 Yquem is a wine of energy and class. Don't miss it!

Wine Spectator

98

byJames Molesworththe2/15/2018

Fresh-cut orange, peach and nectarine notes lead the way, followed by lightly singed almond and warm piecrust notes. Then another wave of green fig, warmed pear and coconut takes over on the finish. Rich and honeyed in feel, with obvious power, balanced by an energy in the inner core that should help this cruise in the cellar for some time. Best from 2020 through 2050. 8,333 cases made.  –JM

Wine Advocate

98

byNeal Martinthe9/29/2017

The 2015 Château d'Yquem was scintillating when I tasted it at the property during en primeur last year. A blend of 75% Sémillon and 25% Sauvignon Blanc, it delivers 144 grams per liter of residual sugar. Now that the wine is in bottle, that original “show-stopping” bouquet has become more refined. In fact, you could almost describe it as laid back or genteel until it begins to magically unfold and deliver seductive scents of lemon curd, orange pith, freshly opened tins of apricot and wild honey. You would call the aromatics more “pretty” than “powerful,” but of course, it is beautifully defined. The palate is very well balanced with that electric line of acidity intact. It is a little spicier than I recall, with a fresh viscous finish. There is a persistent aftertaste whereby the mouth tingles some 60 seconds after the wine has departed. Maybe I was being optimistic when I suggested that it might rank alongside the regal 2001 and 2009. The 2015 Yquem does not belong in that hallowed company. But it is a prince to that king and that queen. Tasted September 2017. Drink 2023 - 2070

Asian Palate

97

byJeannie Cho Lee MWthe5/24/2016

A generous, unctuous Yquem with complex layers of dried mangos, apricots and honey. Fuller bodied than many other Sauternes in this vintage with good concentration, depth and mid palate density. There is 144 grams of residual sugar in this vintage, but one can barely feel it, the acidity is quite fresh and lively. A beautifully balanced Sauternes.

Le Point

18

byJacques Dupontthe5/19/2016

Nez amande grillée, noisette, menthe, pomme verte, abricot, mirabelle, bouche pleine, dense, riche, long effilé, très pur. O : 2020 G :30 ans

Decanter.com

95

byJane Ansonthe5/2/2016

About 75% Semillon and 25% Sauvignon Blanc. Very pure, intense aromas and flavours of peach, lemon curd, tangerine and marmalade botrytis notes. Boasts 144g/l sugar and 6.2 g/l total acidity. Very pure, long and racy rather than rich. It doesn’t have the power of 2001 or 2009, nor the freshness of 2011 or 2014, but it is a great wine in the making. If the vintage allows, I’d go back to an 80%/20% Sem-Sauv blend to get back a little of that magical d’Yquem richness.2022-2045

Jean-Marc QUARIN

100

byJean-Marc Quarinthe5/1/2016

Couleur dorée. Nez intense, fin, mûr et subtil. Bouche ample, fondante, offrant dès les premiers instants un toucher magique. Puis le vin fond, sculptural, gracieux vers une grande profondeur et une qualité de saveurs royale. Tenue et expression bouleversantes. Grande finale irrésistible et incrachable.

Jancis Robinson

19

byJancis Robinsonthe5/1/2016

RS 144 g/l, TA 6 g/l, pH 3.65. Mid gold. Very direct and glossy. Edge of veg and toast. Real tension! Tense pear juice with lots of grip andattack. Lots of acidity as well as all that sugar. Really energetic. Long. Amazing persistence. So neat. Real attack. Massive apparent acidity. 13.9% - Drink 2027-2055.

The Wine Cellar Insider

98-100

byJeff Levethe4/30/2016

Stunning in every sense of the word, the wine has an incredible level of sweetness; concentration of flavor; acidity and sweet honeyed; perfectly ripe and over ripe tropical fruits; it is almost too much of a good thing. Yet; everything is in an amazing sense of balance and harmony. The finish must stay with you for close to 60 seconds! Made from 80% Sauvignon Blanc and 20% Semillon, the wine reached 13.9% alcohol with a pH of 3.65 pH. The wine is incredibly sweet with 144 grams per liter of sugar, but this is all kept in check due to the 6.2 grams per liter of total acidities. The harvest took place from September 3, to October 21. They took 4 passes through the vineyards this year. The

Wine Advocate

98-100

byNeal Martinthe4/29/2016

The 2015 Château d'Yquem is a blend of 75% Semillon and 25% Sauvignon Blanc that was picked on the gravelly soils as early as 3 and 4 September until 21 October, four tries through the vineyard. It delivers 144 grams per liter of residual sugar, with six-grams of tartaric acid, a pH 3.65 and 13.9% alcohol. It has a show-stopping bouquet that is beautifully defined and very complex and exuberant, infused with greater mineralité than recent vintages - intense but not as flamboyant as say the 2009 Yquem at this stage. The palate boasts absolutely stunning balance. This is a Yquem without a hair out of place: fantastically pure, botrytised fruit caressing the mouth. That is as per normal. What distinguishes this Yquem is the sense of electricity that is imbued by that razor-sharp acidity. There is just unbelievably tension here and to be frank, there is little point in me continuing to write this note, because it is simply an astonishing Yquem that will rank alongside the 2001 and 2009. Drink 2028-2090

Vinous

96-98

byAntonio Gallonithe4/24/2016

Stunning and utterly captivating, the 2015 d'Yquem is shaping up to be one of the truly epic wines of the vintage. All the elements are impeccably balanced, starting with the most captivating, alluring bouquet imaginable. The 2015 floats on the palate with grace and total finesse. What I like most about the 2015 is its airy, nuanced personality. Sweet floral notes, lemon confit, chamomile and acacia are some of the nuances that linger in this hauntingly beautiful d'Yquem. The 2015 was fermented in 100% new oak and residual sugar is 145 grams per liter, but none of that really matters. Readers who can find the 2015 should not hesitate, as it is truly magnificent!

timatkin.com

98

byTim Atkin MWthe4/20/2016

matthewjukes.com

19,5

byMatthew Jukesthe4/20/2016

Wine Enthusiast

97

byRoger Vossthe4/15/2016

96–98. Barrel Sample. This wine is ethereal. It certainly offers attractive honey and bitter orange flavors but also a fresh character that gives the wine lift and crispness. It is, of course, going to age magnificently, although it is so delicious and refreshing now.

Jamessuckling.com

99-100

byJames Sucklingthe4/5/2016

This is an incredible young Yquem that is so vinous like a great vintage of Montrachet but then on the palate it turns to Yquem with spice, dried fruit and mushroom as well as sweet fruit. Last for minutes. Acidity is all there giving it a dynamic vibrance that jolts your senses. Special wine. It has a little more than than 140 grams of residual sugar, less than the legendary of 2001. But is very close in greatness. Let’s wait and see.