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| | Vintage | 2011 |  Label 1 of 739 
 | | Type | White - Sweet/Dessert | | Producer | Château d'Yquem (web) | | Variety | Sémillon-Sauvignon Blanc Blend | | Designation | n/a | | Vineyard | n/a | | Country | France | | Region | Bordeaux | | SubRegion | Sauternais | | Appellation | Sauternes | | UPC Code(s) | 015643426148, 087000361096, 3277031707315, 3284399009333, 3364420089760, 3453521215830, 3500610094996, 3500611110268, 3700266222006, 3700266222075, 721713141025, 810910020858 |
| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 95.7 pts. and median of 96 pts. in 84 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by RockinCabs on 3/16/2024 & rated 96 points: Nose: Apricots, honey, botrytis, spice and chamomile notes. Very nice nose that is sappy and fragrant with a nice hint of botrytis decay. Palate: Bright orange blossom, apricot, honey and baked peach. Intense acidity and brightness throughout. Finish: Acidity clears the palate and keeps this very intense wine fresh.
A marvelous d'Yquem paired with Foie Gras Torchon. (1354 views) | | | Tasted by rocknroller on 3/15/2024 & rated 96 points: CdB MN Spring Event (Minneapolis Club, Mpls, MN): Very light golden color. Drank a glass over 40 minutes. What a nose, this is bursting with a cornucopia of flowers, jasmine, acacia, and honeysuckle followed by such bright, fresh fruit notes with pineapple, peach and Mandarin orange creme brulee, mango, enhanced by the honey, orange zest and delightfully portioned spice notes. This comes off as youthfully bright, in such a great way - the early drinking window of 10 to 15 years, that for me is so appealing, really comes through. This has such poise with the honey, creamy texture, tropical fruits and the corraled sweetness. Loved it. Looking for this to just get better. 95+ to 96pts. (1270 views) | | | Tasted by Decanting Queen on 1/26/2024 & rated 95 points: CdB BoG; 1/25/2024-1/27/2024 (Denver): Lost my notes but hard to forget the impressions of this one. Excellent and loved the pineapple notes along with the apricots, plenty of complexity. My daughter’s first d’Yquem and she was smitten. (2531 views) | | | Tasted by peter.mancell@mfg.com.au on 1/6/2024 & rated 96 points: Sublime accompaniment to Xmas pudding! (2426 views) | | | Tasted by dcwino on 12/7/2023 & rated 95 points: Holiday Dinner - Mostly Bordeaux (Taberna del Alabardero, Washington D.C.): Very rich and opulent Yquem. A lot of dry apricot and pineapple. This is a very concentrated style of Yquem. It reminds me the 03 a bit, i.e. rich and concentrated. (2624 views) | | | Tasted by acyso on 12/5/2023 & rated 95 points: Good vintages of Yquem (Chicago, IL): Thick, opulent, and sweet. This does not have quite the same cut as many of the other wines tonight; it is relatively low acid and honestly kind of oily and fat. And yet! Somehow the peachy fruit manages to carry the day here, and this never feels cloying (though serving this chilled is quite necessary). White peach forward, versus the more typical apricot profile. Not very much botrytis spice here in play either -- this seems to be fully centered on the expressively sweet and delicate white fruit notes. (2774 views) | | | Tasted by GFischmann on 10/6/2023 & rated 95 points: Wonderful complement to chocolate dessert (2312 views) | | | Tasted by DawgByte on 7/23/2023 & rated 98 points: Right out of the gate this wine exuded elegance and distinction with a bouquet of golden delicious apple, pear, apricots, pineapple, white flowers, spices and white peach. On the palate it was a wall of beautifully ripe tropical fruits, lemon curd, honey and vanilla. There's a wonderful viscosity that coats the mouth. It has nice acidity to pair with the sweetness, demonstrating balance and structure. This is just a gorgeous wine and paired beautifully with a strong cheese plate. (2541 views) | | | Tasted by Jeff Leve on 2/12/2023 & rated 98 points: One sniff is all it takes before you're immersed in its web of overripe apricots, pineapple, exotic spices, flowers, white peach, roasted nuts, and honey. But, of course, the real excitement here is on the palate, with its wall of perfectly ripe, sweet, very sweet, and incredibly sweet, tropical fruits, mango, pineapple, vanilla, and lemon creme all coated with honey. Even with all this unctuosity, with all of its racy acidity, the wine is as vibrant as it is sweet. With all of its layers of sweetness, it is never tiring to taste, instead, it is an upbeat, thrill ride that can age for at least 50 or more years. Drink from 2023-2080. (4455 views) | | | Tasted by BCJ99 on 2/11/2023 & rated 96 points: Tasted from half bottle (0.375l)
Intense nose and palate, very good length, lots of abricot, apple and citrus, saffron and very well balanced with acidity (2261 views) | | | Tasted by mckillop on 12/20/2022 & rated 97 points: Magically as always. (3208 views) | | | Tasted by Tavastgatan on 12/18/2022 & rated 96 points: Six years since last bottle. Very elegant and still very young. Just delicious. (2954 views) | | | Tasted by Frijole on 11/25/2022: gold, lots of clarity, waxy silvery hue
Nose: mango, papaya, guava, almond, white flowers, lemon, orange peel, honey
Pal: mango, papaya, guava, wax, almond, lemon curd, tangerine, minerals
Feel: medium, waxy
Finish: long
T9 (could be an 8) (2825 views) | | | Tasted by AValdes on 3/8/2022 & rated 90 points: Out of 375. Very early so not showing any complexity. Still, fairly delicious with dessert. (4990 views) | | | Tasted by wgmccallum on 1/7/2022 & rated 94 points: Medium gold. Nose of pure honey, botrytis, yellow figs. Full bodied on the palate with a very crisp touch of acid, low to medium, just the right amount. Utterly delicious, very pure. (4170 views) | | | Tasted by Cailles on 11/10/2021 & rated 93 points: Bordeaux 2011 - 10 Years On - 30 Reds: All tasted blind, not decanted. A few observations: 1) As expected, it's a mediocre vintage with many wines lacking depth and mid palate weight of great vintages. My average score for the reds was 91.3 pts vs group scores at more recent horizontals for 2010 (93.0), 2000 (92.7) and 2009 (93.9). 2) I expected more green/unripe notes and drying tannins but that is not the case (hence the solid 91.3 average). Most wines showed well-made (with only 6 out of 30 reds rated below 90 pts). 3) Left bank (average 91.8 pts) clearly trumps right bank (90.6) thanks to more mid palate substance. 4) Virtually no wine showed a) over extracted and already dying and b) with far too much ripeness. Both 2009/2010 (and 2015/2018) have several wines with these problem. 5) Most wines are in a good drinking window. Although not yet with tertiary complexity, the structure has softened and the wines are open (even without extended decanting). 6) Unfortunately (due to price), the best reds were Le Pin (97+ pts), Margaux (96), Petrus (96) and Mouton (95). 7) Good vintage for Sauternes it seems (we tasted only two) with a surprising Giraud (96 pts) beating a too sweet Yquem (93).
TN: Intense, expressive on the nose and palate with a plethora of fruit ranging from lime, citrus, the typical orange zest and quince. Beautiful saffron notes and a touch of spices. I found it to be a bit less sharp and fresh than the Guiraud in the next glass and was very surprise when revealed as I would have sworn the other one being the Yquem. I went back and forth between the wines, got seconds of both wines to check if I was wrong somehow, if my judgement is clouded after all this was the 32rd wine of the night but my initial judgment was confirmed. This bottle of Yquem lost the race against the Guiraud (rated 96 pts) in the next glass but was overall a touch too sweet with not the usual Yquem freshness and cut to keep it all balanced. Would love to revisit soon as this is supposed to be a great vintage for Sauternes and Yquem. (5659 views) | | | Tasted by Papies on 8/25/2021 & rated 95 points: Boys Night at 67 PM (67 Pall Mall, London): 6 years since we tasted this ( Papies 96) and loved to cross paths again.
Still very much fresh ( and utterly delicious) bright and energetic and with soft honey and apricot feel. Good use of oak here and helps the wine shine too at this stage and adds a nice weight on the palate. Harmonious and effortlessly balanced and elegant. Liquid gold. 95+ (5094 views) | | | Tasted by Hercules on 7/26/2021: D'Yquem! Enough said. (4530 views) | | | Tasted by tanduybui on 5/4/2021 & rated 96 points: A lovely and thoroughly modern d'Yqyem. Simply stunning freshness and clarity and laser sharp precision - not a note out of place. And yet, it was a marvellous drink - almond, apricot and spices on the nose, body had citrus notes and riped pears. Finish was very refined and lingered for minutes.
Drink now or 15+ years. (4021 views) | | | Tasted by vinkeger on 4/30/2021 & rated 92 points: Massiv nese, men med nyansert og behersket frukt. Tykk tekstur i munn. Tørket aprikos og pisket krem. God lengde. Flott vin, men trenger minst 10 år til. (3731 views) | | | Tasted by bnqwallace on 2/23/2021 & rated 95 points: Absolutely stunning wine with all the classic Yquem characteristics. On the young side but one of the lovely things about Yquem is that it drinks beautifully from about 5 years to 100 years. (3970 views) | | | Tasted by jnewman77 on 12/25/2020: Second Yquem in a week... Merry Christmas to me! Another stellar bottle; I need to pick up some more 2011 to see how it matures; just a beautiful and explosive nose of apricot, orange marmalade, honey, vanilla, and floral notes with spice. Rich, but with energy; fellow drinkers noted they didn't normally enjoy dessert wines, but this was delicious! (3724 views) | | | Tasted by jnewman77 on 12/22/2020: Wow. Second Yquem and this one blew my mind a little. Definitely saw the greatness and separation in this bottle... the nose was explosive and ever changing; apricot, peach pie, honeyed orange peel, candied pear blossom. The palate was rich, ripe, and yet so full of energy! The palate coating flavors seemed to never end and the finish was easily a minute. Great wine. (3475 views) | | | Tasted by BBinSC on 8/1/2020 & rated 95 points: From 750: the end of a long, long evening, senses fairly dulled, but still got that incredible laser beam of ripe melon, mouth-coating texture, and a bright lift from the acid to cleanse my palate. Wonderful. (3934 views) | | | Tasted by winecoffee on 7/4/2020 & rated 95 points: Beautiful nose. I could smell ten different aromas in layers. Same with the palate. Ten different fruits and flavors like lime, lemon, honey, honeydew, pear, honeysuckle, peaches, but above all oozing of sweet charred butter. My first d’yquem and certainly won't be my last. (3475 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| By Neal Martin
Vinous, The Comedown: Bordeaux 2011 Ten-Years-On (Apr 2022) (4/1/2022)
(Yquem Yquem Sweet White) Subscribe to see review text. | By Neal Martin
Vinous, Unrivalled/ Unequalled: Yquem 1921–2019 (Apr 2022) (4/1/2022)
(D'yquem Yquem Sweet White) Subscribe to see review text. | By Jancis Robinson, MW
JancisRobinson.com (10/6/2021)
(Ch d'Yquem Sauternes White) Subscribe to see review text. | By Jane Anson
Decanter, Bordeaux 2011: The top rated wines tasted 10 years on (2/19/2021)
(Château d'Yquem, Sauternes, Bordeaux, France, White) Subscribe to see review text. | By Jeb Dunnuck
JebDunnuck.com, Up From The Cellar #6 & Misc New Releases (6/14/2019)
(Chateau D'Yquem) Login and sign up and see review text. | By Stephen Brook
Decanter, Top Sauternes & Barsac 2011 (7/7/2016)
(Château d'Yquem, Sauternes, White) Subscribe to see review text. | By Chris Kissack
Winedoctor, November 2015 (11/1/2015)
(Château d’Yquem Sauternes White) Subscribe to see review text. | By Julia Harding, MW
JancisRobinson.com (1/23/2015)
(Ch d'Yquem Sauternes White) Subscribe to see review text. | By Ian D'Agata
Vinous, May/June 2014, IWC Issue #174
(Chateau d'Yquem Sauternes) Subscribe to see review text. | By Jancis Robinson, MW
JancisRobinson.com (4/26/2014)
(Ch D'Yquem Sauternes White) Subscribe to see review text. | By Ian D'Agata
Vinous, July 2012
(Chateau d'Yquem Sauternes) Subscribe to see review text. | By Julia Harding, MW
JancisRobinson.com (4/2/2012)
(Ch d'Yquem Sauternes White) Subscribe to see review text. | By Chris Kissack
Winedoctor, April 2012
(Château d'Yquem (Sauternes)) Subscribe to see review text. | By Chris Kissack
Winedoctor, April 2012
(Château d’Yquem Sauternes White) Subscribe to see review text. | By John Gilman
View From the Cellar, Mar/Apr 2012, Issue #38, The 2011 Bordeaux Vintage Unprecedented Conditions Lead to Very Mixed Quality, But With Some Truly Outstanding Gems to Be Found
(Château d’Yquem (Sauternes)) Login and sign up and see review text. | By Panel Tasting
Decanter, Sauternes & Barsac 20013 & 2013
(Château d'Yquem, Sauternes, White) Subscribe to see review text. |
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of Vinous and JancisRobinson.com and Decanter and JebDunnuck.com and Winedoctor and View From the Cellar. (manage subscription channels) |
| Château d'Yquem Producer website - Read more about Chateau d’Yquem
Château d’Yquem had been in the hands of Lur Saluces family from 1785 to 1997. After several years of legal controversies, caused by disagreements within Lur Saluces family, mode giant LVMH (Louis Vutton, Moët Hennesy and Château Cheval Blanc) gained majority of shares in d’Yquem in 1997, when Count Alexandre de Lur Saluces sold his shares to LVMH. He did however continue as manager of d’Yquem, according to agreement with the new owner. This changed radically in May 2004, when he retired and was replaced him with Pierre Lurton, already manager at Cheval Blanc. The latest vintages of d'Yquem conform very convincing, that Pierre Lurton has greatly succeeded to maintain d'Yquem's fantastic quality.
This property is beautifully placed at hilltop in Sauternes commune, with its 103 ha big vineyard (clay and gravel on the surface and lime stones in the subsoil), planted with 80% Semillon and 20% Sauvignon Blanc. The average age of vines is 27 years and the yield does not exceed 10 hl/ha. The wine matures for 3.5 years in new barrels. Neither chaptalisation nor other techniques, which increase sugar content in grape must, are allowed. D’Yquem is one of the very few properties in the district, to use both semi-botrytised and fully botrytised grapes for the wine, in order to have enough acidity to balance sweetness.
D’Yquem is made without any compromises and consideration whatsoever about production costs - pickers are on constant alert for 1.5-2 months, and do many picking rounds in the vineyard. Often, the amount of these rounds is double or triple, compared to how many rounds other classified properties perform in the district. Here, we have the king of Sauternes & Barsac, world’s most expensive and most demanded dessert wine, which has an enormous keeping potential (50 years+). At its best, this wine possesses a purely exceptional botrytis, enormous concentration and such a nuance-richness, which makes you speechless.France Vins de France (Office National Interprofessionnel des Vins ) | Pages Vins, Directory of French Winegrowers | French Wine (Wikipedia)
Wine Scholar Guild vintage ratings
2018 vintage: "marked by a wet spring, a superb summer and a good harvest"
2019 vintage reports
2021: "From a general standpoint, whether for white, rosé or red wines, 2021 is a year marked by quality in the Rhône Valley Vineyards. Structured, elegant, fresh and fruity will be the main keywords for this new vintage."
2022 harvest: idealwine.info | wine-searcher.comBordeaux Bordeaux Wine Guide
Vins Bordeaux (Conseil Interprofessionnel du Vin de Bordeaux)
History of Bordeaux
History of 1855 Bordeaux Classification
"2009 is all about ripeness, with wines impressively packed with ripe fruit and high alcohol levels. They are showy, in-your-face, and full of pleasure. The 2010s have the fruit and alcohol levels of the 2009s, but with a compelling freshness on the finish that balances the fruit and provides a perfect sense of structure." - Ben Nelson
"2016 is a landmark vintage in certain spots of Bordeaux and it should be remembered as one of the most inspired campaigns of the last 40-50+ years." -Jon Rimmerman
"The quality of red Bordeaux in 2016 was universally lauded – although the response to the en primeur campaign was muted. Quantity was high too, with the equivalent of 770 million bottles of wine produced. An exceptionally dry summer with cool nights eventually, thanks to mid September rain, resulted in small, thick-skinned, ripe grapes, and the wines are marked by high tannin and acidity, with superb aromatic fragrance." - Jancis Robinson
"2017 was complicated, but there are some excellent wines. Expect plenty of freshness and drinkability from wines that will offer excellent value, and others that will rival 2016 in terms of ripeness and ageability. But they are likely to be the exception not the rule, making careful selection key." - Jane Anson
"In the past, a vintage such as 2022 may have been overripe, raisined and low in acidity but 2022 had a sneaky little reservoir in its back pocket - a near perfect marriage of cool/cold/rain the previous winter and the previous vintage that literally soaked the soils (a key to why 2022 is not 2003...or 1893)." - Jon RimmermanSauternes Le Grand Crus Classés de Sauternes et Barsac 1855 (Crus Classés de Sauternes et Barsac) - Read more about Sauternes, Barsac and its wines
– Read more about the 1855 Sauternes Barsac Classification
Forty kilometres south of Bordeaux, Sauternes is an AOC that includes together 5 communes, including Barsac. For centuries, humans have been patiently learning to master this region's climate, soils and grape varieties. But Mother Nature did a good job laying the foundation. The Sauternes terroir is distinguished by a geological predisposition to gravel and pebbles that cover limestone streaked with veins of clay. In the communes of Fargues and Sauternes, a layer of hardpan (iron-oxide cemented sand) in which vines flourish can be found. The vineyards at the highest elevations and farthest from the river have the best terroirs and produce the majority of the Crus Classés, including the monumental Château Yquem.Sauternes wines are made from Sémillon (80% of vines planted) and Sauvignon (15%) grapes. A bit of Muscadelle occasionally is used to give the wines an untamed touch. Sauternes have an "aged gold" colour that is denser and darker than other dessert wines. When they age, they develop a stunning amber colour. The nose has aromas of flowers and fruit that melt together to create a bouquet of remarkable complexity and balance. The primary aromas include almond, quince, mango, pineapple, stewed peach, dried apricot and passion fruit. There are also floral notes, with touches of linden, acacia, mimosa and honeysuckle. And as is typical with Sémillon, there are also notes of beeswax, almond and hazelnut. In the mouth, Sauternes wines have a powerful style that is viscous but extremely elegant. Its strong sweetness is captivating. Finally, its aromatic finish is something that simply must be experienced.
2013 Vintage Notes:
"the extractive ratios in th[is] year are in the phenomenal range and there's ripeness/botrytis to cover two treks around the globe [...] so appealing is the immediacy of the wines. Many can be enjoyed now for their sheer joy and delicious nature. [Some] should also age" - Jon Rimmerman
2014 Vintage Notes:
"a golden vintage for Sauternes. It may not have the depth or weight of 2010, but it has some of the richness. What has set 2014 apart is the intense lime and lemon flavors that cut into any overblown cloying character and allow both the fruit and the honeyed noble rot to sing." - Wine Enthusiast |
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