Nabuchodonosor - Château Yquem - Sauternes 2018

Wine Advocate

98 / 100

par Lisa Perrotti-Brown le 15/10/2020

The 2018 d'Yquem is all lime cordial, grapefruit oil and mandarin peel to begin. With a little coaxing, the fireworks really begin, letting off a whole array of honeysuckle, candied ginger, dried pineapple, lemon pastilles, chalk dust and sea spray scents, followed by a savory undercurrent of shaved almonds, allspice and baking bread. The palate is an exercise in polish and poise, featuring the most gorgeously creamy texture and bright, sparkling freshness, framing all the densely laden tropical and citrus fruit layers, finishing with a powerful BANG of profound floral and spice perfume. It is wonderfully sweet, yes, but that—paradoxically for a "sweet wine"—is almost beside the point.

"2018 is one of the latest-ripening vintages ever produced at Yquem," Pierre Lurton mentioned in the video that accompanied my tasting of this 2018 vintage. Indeed, the warm, very dry spell toward the end of the 2018 growing season meant that Sauternes producers had to play the waiting game for botrytis. Subsequently, the best wines of Sauternes and Barsac in 2018 came in as late as possible—in late October and even into early November. These wines have notably more botrytic character than the earlier harvested wines and therefore also livelier acid profiles. Yquem was mainly harvested 22-27 October. This 2018 falls into line with the style of the vintage for sweets: a bold, forward expression of great purity. To its credit, it has just a little more poise, freshness and mineral nuances than many of the other wines from this vintage. There's a lot of sweetness here, but you really don't feel it.

Vinous

93 / 100

par Neal Martin le 25/09/2020

The 2018 Château d’Yquem unfolded under tropical conditions according to the château’s technical sheet, temperatures 2.7°C above average and this influences the style of the latest release. Noble rot spread after rainfall between 5 and 13 October, the picking commencing on 17 October with the heart of the harvest picked between 22 and 27 October. In total there was 17 days of picking. The final wine is a blend of 85% Sémillon and 15% Sauvignon Blanc, 13.50% alcohol (stated on the label) with 145g/L residual sugar and a pH of 3.95. I tasted the wine from two ex-château bottles on the same day. Firstly, in the morning, poured straight from bottle at room temperature into a regular Bordeaux glass. Lucid straw in colour, it is paler than recent vintages. The bouquet requires coaxing, certainly less intense than with pretty scents of dried honey, saffron and orange pith, a discrete Germanic tinge just off stage. The palate is understated on the entry. Modest in terms of complexity and certainly far from the most luscious Yquem that I have tasted in recent vintages, it offers appealing lemon curd, apricot and a dab of spiciness, stem ginger and lemongrass. The second bottle was served in the evening at a lower temperature after a two hour decant in a smaller Zalto Sauternes glass. Now, this showed differently. The aromatics here felt more focused and energetic for a start - more drive. The palate revealed greater complexity thanks to decanting and certainly more tension, crucial to counterbalance that residual sugar. Overall, I do not believe that the 2018 Yquem belongs in the pantheon of great vintages of Yquem since it lacks requisite nuance, depth and complexity. It is a pretty and charming Yquem, maybe a sensitive one that needs to be served correctly, lest its shortcomings deriving from the growing season, not any winemaking decision, show through. 

Yvesbeck.wine

96-97 / 100

par Yves Beck le 23/09/2020

Quel était le défi des vins de Sauternes en 2018 ? Ne pas être trop opulents, lourds ou excessivement suaves ? Peut-être un peu de tout ça, mais n’est-ce finalement pas un défi constant ? 

Dans tous les cas, Yquem 2018, respectivement son bouquet, annonce la couleur d’entrée : il est subtil, complexe et même frais ! Délicates nuances florales et fruitées. Je relève des parfums de fruits de la passion, de mirabelles, d’agrumes et d’écorces de mandarine. A ceci viennent s’ajouter une touche de nougat et des amandes grillées.Caractère crémeux et suave en attaque (145gr de sucre résiduel) idéalement contrecarré par une structure rafraîchissante. Cette dernière assure bien les arrières, confère la vivacité nécessaire et soutient l’expression aromatique jusqu’en finale.Cela ne fait pas l’ombre d’un doute, c’est un grand Yquem qui se distingue par une apparition tardive du botrytis… comme en 1967 par exemple, sans égaler le vin de ce millésime néanmoins.  

Comme à son habitude, ce nectar requiert du temps pour se mettre en place et révéler sa grandeur. Ce qu’il montre aujourd’hui est convaincant et réjouissant, raison pour laquelle j’octroie une note potentielle. 2028-2078 

Jamessuckling.com

97 / 100

par James Suckling le 23/09/2020

An extremely polished and refined d’Yquem with lightly cooked peaches and mangos and an overlay of vanilla and cream with some lemon meringue. Orange peel, too. What is striking is the texture, which is creamy and so fine. The tannins give the wine energy and beauty. The finish is extremely long and impressive. So clean and refined. Not heavy at all, but vivid and clean as crystal. Goes on for minutes. Elegance with stature is a good description. Drinkable now, but better in 2023 and onwards.

Anthocyanes

95 / 100

par Yohan Castaing le 03/09/2020

Un bouquet exotique sans être exubérant, des notes d’épices, un peu safran. Noix de muscade et poivre blanc avec une légère aération. La bouche est fraiche, droite, moyennement dense sans être trop puissante et la liqueur reste élégante et précise. Un Yquem cristallin, frais, aérien et mentholé en finale. Pour une garde moyenne (10 à 15 ans).

Decanter.com

97 / 100

par Jane Anson le 27/08/2020

Average temperatures 2.7°C over average, combined with 20% of the normal rainfall from mid August to the end of July made makes this a naturally rich, low-yielding vintage (40% less than average, not helped by a hail storm in July), with a gloriously gourmet 145g/ha residual sugar, and a pH level of 3.95. As ever with Yquem, patience was the key, taking in the grapes slowly but surely over 17 days harvest that extended well into October. The results in the glass are intense and glossy, full of satin-textured apricot and white peach flavours. There are exotic fruits of pineapple and mango but winemaker Sandrine Garbay has kept a focus on fresher flavours of lime zest and citrus that balance out the natural richness and concentration. Pretty closed right now, but there is power and balance here, an excellent Yquem.