April 18, 2024 - Served in a 375ml for 5 people, which was perfect. Thanks again, Raymond!
Burnt sugar, marshmallow, butterscotch, peach marmalade, and creme brulee. Lengthy finish. For me, aged Sauternes could use more acid and energy, but the rich mouthfeel always makes it a pleasurable experience nonetheless.
December 31, 2022 - Drank at 67
Still young with much more sweetness than I expected.
October 28, 2022 - Pristine fill and bottle for its age. PnP, drank over a hour. Immediately, pronounced notes of orange marmalade, bitter orange peel and pith, burnt caramel and creme brulee, rubber/tar. A little heavy and rich, doesn't have the superb balance of the best vintages, but showcasing a plethora of tertiary development. I had guessed alcohol to be 13.5% despite the overwhelming amount of heat resonating from the palate. The heat and bitter characteristics blew off after a hour in the glass, definitely allowing the Yquem to become much more enjoyable, floral, and allowing some hidden fruit to come out. Served alongside with a flourless chocolate cake (worked really well), foie gras with apples (worked amazing), and a grand marnier souffle (slightly disjointed pairing).
Overall, an epic experience trying such an old Yquem. I can't see this getting any better with additional age, due to its imperfect balance. But this is also Yquem, so it will continue to keep for decades nonetheless. I would recommend opening a small pour in the glass alongside a decant for an optimal drinking experience.
October 17, 2021 - 30x 1955 & 1961 (mostly Bdx): Tasted single blind. Taste-off between the 1955 and 1961 vintages. Close race between the two with the 1955 (94+ pts) slightly ahead of the 1961 (93 pts). Both showed the typical complexity and aromas but were missing the perfect definition and balance the best vintages have for a higher rating. Maybe more air would have improved both wines.
TN: A tad less expressive than the 1955 with the same aromas of creme brulee, lots of saffron, apricots, quince, citrus, spices along some mushroom notes which are more interesting than a good fit. Fun to drink with a good balance of sweetness and freshness. Overall quite good but without the absolut precision and clean lines it would need for a 95+ point rating.
Decanting: Not decanted, but I guess at least 30+ minutes in the decanter would have been helpful.
September 20, 2021 - Grand 1961 vs 1955 vintage tasting (Fribourg): Big 1961 vs 1955 tastings including 10 direct match-ups and 11 individual wines from 1961. The tasting was conducted in flights of 4, single-blind and with no previous decant with all bottles opened 1h prior to start. The line-up was dominated by Bordeaux reds, but also included 5 Sauternes, 1 Champagne, 3 Burgundy reds and 1 Ribera del Duero. The following observations are worth mentioning: i) 1961 generally came across as a better vintage today than 1955, ii) the performance correlated with the 1855 classification, iii) The most outstanding wines were outside of the Bordeaux reds with Veuve Clicquot Rosé '61, Vega Sicilia Unico '61 (both 97) and La Tour Blanche '61 (96) worth mentioning, iv) Top-performing Bordeaux was Margaux (95) in 1961 and Mouton in 1955. List of wines included in the tasting story.
Tasting note:
Distinctly smoky aroma profile in contrast to the more classic '55 next to it, also candid fruit, spice and sweet honey notes. Soft and well-balanced palate with a smoky aftertaste. A solid Yquem, but without the ability to leave a lasting impression, I found, and I did prefer the '55 somewhat.
May 23, 2021 - Tasted blind, this wine had a deep tan center with yellow/clear rims. The high intensity nose of sauteed oranges, honey, apples, and white stone was impressive.
In the mouth, this wine was very rich with substantial acidity and incredible length.
I know this is not supposed to be a great vintage or even that great of a bottle (say relative to the '59). However, I found it to be very impressive and this particular bottle could have held up against all but the very best vintages of the century. This is likely because this bottle was at the perfect peek of maturity.
September 28, 2020 - Dark caramel sunset in color with its orange hue, the 61 d’Yquem is a charming aged Sauternes on the back nine of its journey. The notes show more of the mature orange fruit, toffee and burnt sugar characteristics of an aging Sauternes fading into its twilight years. The finish is a bit clipped with orange zest bitterness, but nevertheless always a treat to indulge with a mature d’Yquem.
March 26, 2019 - Taste great with its sweet like honey.
October 6, 2018 - In a vintage known to be much better for red wine, than white, there was plenty to like about this beauty. Still fresh, and focused on the orange and honeyed citrus side of the fruit range, the fruit seemed like it was poached in butter, with honey and roasted nuts slathered on top, to add more character.
July 12, 2018 - Tasting notes from 2000. Huge orange zest notes and caramel with orange marmalade. Copper-gold color, rich and sweet. Wasn't expecting it to match the reds of this vintage. Could be over the hill by now.