Wine Advocate 98 / 100 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
Vinifera 5 / 5 the5/31/2016 Vendangé en trois tries principales (entre le 3 sept et le 12 oct), avec une dernière trie, plus anecdotique les 14, 16, 20 et 21 oct, cet Yquem 2015 restera dans les annales comme l’un des plus grands! D’une émouvante beauté formelle, d’unéquilibre parfaitement accompli, il révèle un corps magnifiquement sculpté, dynamique et ciselé, avec une liqueur parfaitement intégrée ainsi qu’un botrytis idéal qui lui donne un éclat bouleversant. On tutoie la perfection? Non... On y est!
Asian Palate 97 / 100 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 / 20 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
Terres de Vins 19 / 20 the5/8/2016 Frais, pureté, ananas, fruits exotiques, gingembre, grande complexité. Matière dense, ronde, parfaite sucrosité avec un yquem sur l’élégance, la race, la subtilité. Un grand yquem.
Decanter.com 95 / 100 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
La Revue du Vin de France 19-20 / 20 the5/1/2016 Belle richesse au nez pour ce grand liquoreux qui livre une beau dégradé comme si l’on ressentait toutes les strates de ses sols. Les graves apportent le nerf et les argiles viennent arrondir les angles. Sa richesse s’accommode des petits amers et d’une belle vivacité qui signent l’équilibre de ce grand millésime. Son coeur de bouche se montre enrobé et moins dynamique que le 2014, tout en préservant une somptueuse élégance.
Jean-Marc QUARIN 100 / 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 / 20 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 / 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 / 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
Bettane & Desseauve 19,5-20 / 20 the4/28/2016 Perfection mystérieuse même comparée avec les très nombreuses réussites du millésime mais perfection quand même, dans l’équilibre général, malgré une richesse en liqueur peu commune et surtout dans la pureté et le raffinement aromatique. Je n’ai (M.B) jamais dégusté en Sauternais un vin naissant plus net, et au fruité plus transcendant. Il servira longtemps de référence pour comprendre ce que veut dire pourriture noble. Les géniteurs de ce cru, Francis Mayeur et Sandrine Garbay, remercient les nuits fraîches de septembre et le savoir de Denis Dubourdieu. Et l’apport notable de sauvignon ramassé riche et botrytisé (20 %) a magnifiquement fonctionné.
Vinous 96-98 / 100 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!
Wine Enthusiast 97 / 100 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.
René Gabriel 20 / 20 the4/10/2016 Mitteldunkles Gelb, somit recht intensiv, leuchtender Rand. Ein Cocktail von Mirabellen und Aprikosen, vermischt mit einer besonders vielschichtigen, feinpfeffrigen Botrytis zeigt sich im reichen Nasenbild. Im Gaumen ist er einerseits sehr frisch, aber auch opulent und unglaublich cremig. Dieser Nektar ist so geschmeidig, dass man kaum glauben kann, dass es sich hier um eine Fassprobe handelt. Das Finale ist gebündelt und endlos lang. Der Restzuckergehalt beträgt 140 Gramm. Natürlich ist jeder Yquem ein Unikat. Wenn man Vergleiche anstellen müsste, so käme mit ein Blend der Jahrgänge 1990, 2001 und 2009 in den Sinn. 20/20 2025 – 2080
Jamessuckling.com 99-100 / 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.