Buying options
Tasting notes
Yields were low in 2019, down by just over 30% – making this exceptional wine all the rarer. A wet spring made for a difficult start to the season, but the summer was long and dry, with rain – and therefore botrytis – slow to arrive in the autumn. The team had to hold out until 7th October, harvesting everything in one week before rain arrived. The blend is 55% Semillon and 45% Sauvignon Blanc – a record-high percentage at the estate, making for a particularly aromatic and instantly appealing Yquem. Every swirl of the glass reveals a new layer of complexity – with notes of mango, citrus pith, tinned apricots, fresh hay, lychee, lemon meringue pie, acacia honey and chamomile shifting in and out of focus. Beneath the richness of fruit, there’s a mineral precision holding things together. The palate is laden with apricot compote drizzled with honey, with a marmalade lift, a pithy freshness and demerara sweetness. It’s viscous and weighty, with 138g/l residual sugar, but the vibrant, lime-edged piercing acidity makes it feel light and moreish. A wine that will age effortlessly for 40 years and more.
Critic scores
Average Score
Neal Martin, Vinous
Andy Howard MW, Decanter
More reviews and scores
Tasted blind. Coconut cream on the nose. Lots of pleasure and fun, provided you like Hawaiian Tropic. Good acid/sweetness balance and quite long. Interesting undertow. Still quite youthful.
A juicy Yquem with tarte tartin, salted caramel and dried oranges on the nose and palate. Medium-to full-bodied and medium-sweet with a creamy and round texture. Bright and vivid. Lovely texture. Long. Evolves to caramel and burnt vanilla sugar. 55% semillon and 45% sauvignon. 138g/L residual. Drink or hold.
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!
About the producer
The undisputed finest sweet wine in the world, Château d'Yquem is the only Premier Cru Supérieur estate in Sauternes, classified in 1855. With a long history stretching back to the Middle Ages, the château is entwined with that of the Lur-Saluces family – who remain involved today.