D'Yquem 2019 & 2020: The '19 is a spectacular young Sauternes. Next to the '20, the '19 is richer, more concentrated, sweeter, and shows more signs of oak influence, but it never feels heavy or overdone.
On the nose, I found the nose immediately expressive with orange peel, honey, dried apricot, pineapple, pastry cream, and vanilla. Compared to the '20, the '19 shows more concentrated and a bit darker fruit tones, shows a greater sense of sweetness, and more oak influence. On the palate, the '19 D'Yquem is incredibly concentrated, while maintaining a sense of vibrancy and acidity. I found a similar flavor profile as the nose, with a mix of concentrated dried apricot fruit, orange peel, honey, and some vanilla/cream notes.
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TOP SHELF WINE WEEKEND: Apricot, grass, peach, and gorgeous floral hits combine in sweet (well, semi-sweet actually) bliss. I was even more taken with this sample than the one I had a month or so ago. I’m not a huge dessert wine fan and I find more are just gobs of cloying gumminess. So, perhaps a young Yquem is just what the doctor ordered. Do they have doctors that’ll scratch out an Rx of Yquem? I gotta call Blue Shield and find out. And I digress.
Check out my previous note on this for some of the more flowery (literally) flavor details but suffice to say this was a beautifully fresh and enlivening example of Semillon/Sauvignon Blanc. In its current personality, I’d be shoving foie and Camembert in my face with this liquid gold. I mean, I kinda did with the whole cheese plate callin’ me. Well, that and French Toast. So, pretty much anything then….
I know all are hot and heavy on the 2001 Yquem, and that thing is unquestionably awesome, but I’m liking this whole baby Yquem thing even better with recent vintages. More savory than sweet. Fresher over heavier. Maybe it’s just a me thing.
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The last five glasses from a beautiful magnum that they served up to our point via Coravin. Liquid gold as always and a magnificent wine to have even now at this youthful and bright time of its life. The textbook notes are all there bipartisan the harmony and balance of this wine with perfect dance between richness and acidity is what we will remember. 95 as a minimum.
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Wild and Crazy Memorial Weekend - Saturday (Chris' Castle aka Melissa's Manor): I have tasted young Sauternes and even young Yquems, but I think this may have been the youngest! Yquem is always a treat regardless of age! The Chateau has an uncanny way of getting their wines to show impeccable balance and finesse, which keeps throughout its long, prosperous life! I have never had an Yquem that was too old nor too young! If you like your Sauternes full of life and vibrancy, this wine is drinking quite well right now! If you. prefer more nuance that comes from age, wait on these. Either way, the wine will have just enough acidity to balance out the sweetness!
OK...this wine...hint of petrol that blew off to reveal layers of citrus, stone and tropical fruit, ranging from Meyers lemon to unripe peach to pineapple and hints of coconut. The wine is mouth coating and delicious! Acidity keeps the fruit lively and the sweetness in check....this wine is not cloying in the least! I love Yquem, regardless of age, and it is always easy to see why they take Sauternes to a whole other level! Easy 96 now, better with more time, IMO, but will be hard to keep away from this one!
Memorial Day Weekend, Day 1: Inglourious Basterds: Aromas of ripe honeydew with gentle honey, and intense white florals with a nice bitterness from the stems (almost comes off like herbal notes, in a good way).
Flavors of the recognizable "noble rot", dark but runny honey, gently spiced wax, awesome bitterness and specks of dark and black minerals.
Surprising this is still somehow not too heavy for a d'Yquem so young.. probably their hallmark of being approachable without fatiguing the palate. Good now but do your best to stay away and revisit in 10-15+ years, shocking to hear that from myself..
Memorial Madness at Case de Chris y Melissa - Day 1 of 2: honeysuckle, apricots on the nose. How does one have the acidity but have the depth of flavor and the sweetness? I guess d'Yquem has managed to perfect that as they are in a league of their own in the Sauternes space. The vintage is my son’s birthyear and so I will not be seeking more of this for him…I mean, me. I mean, for both of us.
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Easter Saturday (Chicago, IL): From half-bottle. "Why is this so pale?" Somewhere along the way between 2004 when the Count retired and now, the style of Yquem drastically changed. This is the youngest Yquem I've ever tasted, and honestly I can't help but wonder if they're aiming for a different market now than from before. This is much lighter and aromatically lifted than the thick, intense wines of old (I'm coming off a recent 1976). Elegant and lifted, with a distinct pineapple note on the nose, the botrytis if there is much of it, is very clean. Much less one of those dessert wines of old, this has a lightness to it that may well function better as a table wine. I imagine some grilled lobster with this might be pretty damn delicious. In any case, the palate shows a fair amount of coconut and oak -- plenty of lactones here. A modest lychee note adds complexity. This is very drinkable for young Yquem; now I wonder why I don't do it more often.
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A few days in Napa with fellow CT'r Cristal2000: A super-duper young pup that is all about acid and freshness. Higher register yellow citrus and stone fruits, but with the signature Yquem herbal and flowery notes that immediately add interest. The mid-palate hits just the right honey note, but then drives on to the acid-driven finish. Speedy Gonzales on the back end. You can certainly drink this now, but be prepared for a more “Bing, Bang, Boom” experience than some smoking jacket and cigar type of deal. Ideally, hold for another 20-50 years or something crazy like that.
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light gold color, ethereal nose of marmalade, tangerine and white chocolate, finessed, on the palate an amazing depth and impact coupled with a nimble and light-footed feel in the manner of the greatest Mosel Trockenbeerenauslesen- in style that is, the flavor profile is classic Yquem through and through, dazzling length, a celestial Yquem of aromatics and tension, billowing, sultry, destined to be one of the great vintages and also most singular, for all the delights it presents today- this was not quite fully harmonized, and so while I would absolutely advocate enjoying this a few times in its youth- I would wait a year or so to let it come together better. It will be fascinating to watch this evolve over the next few decades.
(*****), 2034++ for prime time, but one to have a time- or a few- before that point as well
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Featured as part of Alinea Wine Pairing Flight at magnificent Alinea Michelin 3-Star restaurant, Chicago. https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2023/02/magnificent-dinner-at-alinea-kitchen.html
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Tasting: Not as good as previous vintages of this wine, but probably because this bottle was not given enough air. Certainly on the fuller side with a bitterness I did not like. Would surely have been better if consumed over a week or so.
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Light, yellow, gold in color, the wine pops on the nose with its showy display of flowers, honeysuckle, candied apricots, orange rind, pineapple, mango, lemongrass, vanilla and spice. Perched on the corner of richness, sweetness and acidity, the wine is opulent, fresh, sweet, rich and most-importantly, lifted, so everything feels upbeat and racy on the backend. Because the wine has so much lift and energy, it will be easy to pair with a diverse array of cuisines. You can enjoy this young, without much if any age for its sweetness and exuberance. Or age it for secondary characteristics and nuances. Produced from a blend of 55% Semillon and 45% Sauvignon Blanc, 2019 has the highest percentage of Sauvignon Blanc ever used in d'Yquem. You find more Sauvignon Blanc this year due to the shortened picking window. But as you can see from my notes, or from tasting the wine, it really works here! Drink from 2025-2075.
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Château d'Yquem dinner with Sandrine Garbay (Restaurant Zoldering, Amsterdam, NL): Double magnum. Pre-release. An unprecedented blend of 55% Sémillon and 45% Sauvignon. Beautifully harmonious and pure in style, fresh and intense, like biting into a fresh botrytis grape, very gentle oak delivers subtle vanilla but not resin, flowers and quince, tropical fruit, a wonderfully delicate balance between residual sugar and acidity, perfect balance, flowing and elegant style, excellent resonance and length. A stunning drink already, great future.
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En magnum tasted in London with Sandrine Garbay alongside some older vintages over lunch. The 2019 was served as aperitif and had a beautiful radiance and liveliness to it that it worked very well and people kept reaching for another glass (including myself). I don't have much experience with young d'Yquem so hard for me to say where this is going but definitely a very elegant and fruit forward vintage with good acidity and should be strong in time.
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3/27/2024 - Robmcl920 Likes this wine: 97 Points
D'Yquem 2019 & 2020: The '19 is a spectacular young Sauternes. Next to the '20, the '19 is richer, more concentrated, sweeter, and shows more signs of oak influence, but it never feels heavy or overdone.
On the nose, I found the nose immediately expressive with orange peel, honey, dried apricot, pineapple, pastry cream, and vanilla. Compared to the '20, the '19 shows more concentrated and a bit darker fruit tones, shows a greater sense of sweetness, and more oak influence. On the palate, the '19 D'Yquem is incredibly concentrated, while maintaining a sense of vibrancy and acidity. I found a similar flavor profile as the nose, with a mix of concentrated dried apricot fruit, orange peel, honey, and some vanilla/cream notes.
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12/19/2023 - Somm Enchanted Evening wrote:
Entered wrong # and size
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6/6/2023 - csimm wrote: 96 Points
TOP SHELF WINE WEEKEND: Apricot, grass, peach, and gorgeous floral hits combine in sweet (well, semi-sweet actually) bliss. I was even more taken with this sample than the one I had a month or so ago. I’m not a huge dessert wine fan and I find more are just gobs of cloying gumminess. So, perhaps a young Yquem is just what the doctor ordered. Do they have doctors that’ll scratch out an Rx of Yquem? I gotta call Blue Shield and find out. And I digress.
Check out my previous note on this for some of the more flowery (literally) flavor details but suffice to say this was a beautifully fresh and enlivening example of Semillon/Sauvignon Blanc. In its current personality, I’d be shoving foie and Camembert in my face with this liquid gold. I mean, I kinda did with the whole cheese plate callin’ me. Well, that and French Toast. So, pretty much anything then….
I know all are hot and heavy on the 2001 Yquem, and that thing is unquestionably awesome, but I’m liking this whole baby Yquem thing even better with recent vintages. More savory than sweet. Fresher over heavier. Maybe it’s just a me thing.
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6/1/2023 - Papies wrote: 95 Points
The last five glasses from a beautiful magnum that they served up to our point via Coravin.
Liquid gold as always and a magnificent wine to have even now at this youthful and bright time of its life. The textbook notes are all there bipartisan the harmony and balance of this wine with perfect dance between richness and acidity is what we will remember. 95 as a minimum.
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5/27/2023 - I'd Rather Be Drinking Wine Likes this wine: 96 Points
Wild and Crazy Memorial Weekend - Saturday (Chris' Castle aka Melissa's Manor): I have tasted young Sauternes and even young Yquems, but I think this may have been the youngest! Yquem is always a treat regardless of age! The Chateau has an uncanny way of getting their wines to show impeccable balance and finesse, which keeps throughout its long, prosperous life! I have never had an Yquem that was too old nor too young! If you like your Sauternes full of life and vibrancy, this wine is drinking quite well right now! If you. prefer more nuance that comes from age, wait on these. Either way, the wine will have just enough acidity to balance out the sweetness!
OK...this wine...hint of petrol that blew off to reveal layers of citrus, stone and tropical fruit, ranging from Meyers lemon to unripe peach to pineapple and hints of coconut. The wine is mouth coating and delicious! Acidity keeps the fruit lively and the sweetness in check....this wine is not cloying in the least! I love Yquem, regardless of age, and it is always easy to see why they take Sauternes to a whole other level! Easy 96 now, better with more time, IMO, but will be hard to keep away from this one!
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5/27/2023 - WineBurrowingWombat Likes this wine: 95 Points
Memorial Day Weekend, Day 1: Inglourious Basterds: Aromas of ripe honeydew with gentle honey, and intense white florals with a nice bitterness from the stems (almost comes off like herbal notes, in a good way).
Flavors of the recognizable "noble rot", dark but runny honey, gently spiced wax, awesome bitterness and specks of dark and black minerals.
Surprising this is still somehow not too heavy for a d'Yquem so young.. probably their hallmark of being approachable without fatiguing the palate. Good now but do your best to stay away and revisit in 10-15+ years, shocking to hear that from myself..
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5/27/2023 - bsumoba Likes this wine: 97 Points
Memorial Madness at Case de Chris y Melissa - Day 1 of 2: honeysuckle, apricots on the nose. How does one have the acidity but have the depth of flavor and the sweetness? I guess d'Yquem has managed to perfect that as they are in a league of their own in the Sauternes space. The vintage is my son’s birthyear and so I will not be seeking more of this for him…I mean, me. I mean, for both of us.
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4/11/2023 - Philippe_C wrote: 93 Points
Huge nose of ananas, yellow apple... Sweet ananas, nice acidity, more passerillé than botrytis.
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4/8/2023 - acyso wrote: 95 Points
Easter Saturday (Chicago, IL): From half-bottle. "Why is this so pale?" Somewhere along the way between 2004 when the Count retired and now, the style of Yquem drastically changed. This is the youngest Yquem I've ever tasted, and honestly I can't help but wonder if they're aiming for a different market now than from before. This is much lighter and aromatically lifted than the thick, intense wines of old (I'm coming off a recent 1976). Elegant and lifted, with a distinct pineapple note on the nose, the botrytis if there is much of it, is very clean. Much less one of those dessert wines of old, this has a lightness to it that may well function better as a table wine. I imagine some grilled lobster with this might be pretty damn delicious. In any case, the palate shows a fair amount of coconut and oak -- plenty of lactones here. A modest lychee note adds complexity. This is very drinkable for young Yquem; now I wonder why I don't do it more often.
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4/7/2023 - csimm wrote: 94 Points
A few days in Napa with fellow CT'r Cristal2000: A super-duper young pup that is all about acid and freshness. Higher register yellow citrus and stone fruits, but with the signature Yquem herbal and flowery notes that immediately add interest. The mid-palate hits just the right honey note, but then drives on to the acid-driven finish. Speedy Gonzales on the back end. You can certainly drink this now, but be prepared for a more “Bing, Bang, Boom” experience than some smoking jacket and cigar type of deal. Ideally, hold for another 20-50 years or something crazy like that.
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3/30/2023 - Elvis1969 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Frantzén
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2/18/2023 - Elpaninaro Likes this wine:
light gold color, ethereal nose of marmalade, tangerine and white chocolate, finessed, on the palate an amazing depth and impact coupled with a nimble and light-footed feel in the manner of the greatest Mosel Trockenbeerenauslesen- in style that is, the flavor profile is classic Yquem through and through, dazzling length, a celestial Yquem of aromatics and tension, billowing, sultry, destined to be one of the great vintages and also most singular, for all the delights it presents today- this was not quite fully harmonized, and so while I would absolutely advocate enjoying this a few times in its youth- I would wait a year or so to let it come together better. It will be fascinating to watch this evolve over the next few decades.
(*****), 2034++ for prime time, but one to have a time- or a few- before that point as well
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2/14/2023 - rmcnees Likes this wine: 95 Points
Featured as part of Alinea Wine Pairing Flight at magnificent Alinea Michelin 3-Star restaurant, Chicago.
https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2023/02/magnificent-dinner-at-alinea-kitchen.html
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11/8/2022 - Sundbyberg wrote: 93 Points
Tasting: Not as good as previous vintages of this wine, but probably because this bottle was not given enough air. Certainly on the fuller side with a bitterness I did not like.
Would surely have been better if consumed over a week or so.
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3/29/2022 - Jeff Leve wrote: 98 Points
Light, yellow, gold in color, the wine pops on the nose with its showy display of flowers, honeysuckle, candied apricots, orange rind, pineapple, mango, lemongrass, vanilla and spice. Perched on the corner of richness, sweetness and acidity, the wine is opulent, fresh, sweet, rich and most-importantly, lifted, so everything feels upbeat and racy on the backend. Because the wine has so much lift and energy, it will be easy to pair with a diverse array of cuisines. You can enjoy this young, without much if any age for its sweetness and exuberance. Or age it for secondary characteristics and nuances. Produced from a blend of 55% Semillon and 45% Sauvignon Blanc, 2019 has the highest percentage of Sauvignon Blanc ever used in d'Yquem. You find more Sauvignon Blanc this year due to the shortened picking window. But as you can see from my notes, or from tasting the wine, it really works here! Drink from 2025-2075.
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3/2/2022 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 97 Points
Château d'Yquem dinner with Sandrine Garbay (Restaurant Zoldering, Amsterdam, NL): Double magnum. Pre-release. An unprecedented blend of 55% Sémillon and 45% Sauvignon. Beautifully harmonious and pure in style, fresh and intense, like biting into a fresh botrytis grape, very gentle oak delivers subtle vanilla but not resin, flowers and quince, tropical fruit, a wonderfully delicate balance between residual sugar and acidity, perfect balance, flowing and elegant style, excellent resonance and length. A stunning drink already, great future.
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2/10/2022 - BenBlu Likes this wine: 95 Points
En magnum tasted in London with Sandrine Garbay alongside some older vintages over lunch. The 2019 was served as aperitif and had a beautiful radiance and liveliness to it that it worked very well and people kept reaching for another glass (including myself). I don't have much experience with young d'Yquem so hard for me to say where this is going but definitely a very elegant and fruit forward vintage with good acidity and should be strong in time.
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