Château d'Yquem 2018

The 2018 Château d’Yquem “unfolded under tropical conditions” according to the château’s technical sheet, temperatures 2.7°C above average and this influences the style of the latest release. Noble rot spread after rainfall between 5 and 13 October, the picking commencing on 17 October with the heart of the harvest picked between 22 and 27 October. In total there was 17 days of picking. The final wine is a blend of 85% Sémillon and 15% Sauvignon Blanc, 13.50% alcohol (stated on the label) with 145g/L residual sugar and a pH of 3.95. I tasted the wine from two ex-château bottles on the same day. Firstly, in the morning, poured straight from bottle at room temperature into a regular Bordeaux glass. Lucid straw in colour, it is paler than recent vintages. The bouquet requires coaxing, certainly less intense than with pretty scents of dried honey, saffron and orange pith, a discrete Germanic tinge just off stage. The palate is understated on the entry. Modest in terms of complexity and certainly far from the most luscious Yquem that I have tasted in recent vintages, it offers appealing lemon curd, apricot and a dab of spiciness, stem ginger and lemongrass. The second bottle was served in the evening at a lower temperature after a two hour decant in a smaller Zalto Sauternes glass. Now, this showed differently. The aromatics here felt more focused and energetic for a start - more drive. The palate revealed greater complexity thanks to decanting and certainly more tension, crucial to counterbalance that residual sugar. Overall, I do not believe that the 2018 Yquem belongs in the pantheon of great vintages of Yquem since it lacks requisite nuance, depth and complexity. It is a pretty and charming Yquem, maybe a sensitive one that needs to be served correctly, lest its shortcomings deriving from the growing season, not any winemaking decision, show through. - Neal Martin

The 2018 d'Yquem opens with lime cordial, grapefruit oil, and mandarin peel. With a little coaxing, the fireworks really begin, releasing a whole array of honeysuckle, candied ginger, dried pineapple, lemon pastilles, chalk dust, and sea spray scents, followed by a savory undercurrent of shaved almonds, allspice, and baking bread. The palate is a study in polish and poise, featuring a gorgeously creamy texture and bright, sparkling freshness that frame the densely layered tropical and citrus fruits, finishing with a powerful BANG of profound floral and spice perfume. It is wonderfully sweet, yes, but that—paradoxically for a “sweet wine”—is almost beside the point.

A beauty from start to finish, with fresh, racy notes of honeysuckle, quinine and mirabelle plum leading off, followed by richer quince, creamed pear and white nectarine flavors. Everything melds through the finish, picking up macadamia nut and brioche accents to complete the seduction. Sémillon and Sauvignon Blanc. Best from 2025 through 2045. 4,166 cases made.

An extremely impressive Yquem here. Deeply concentrated and silky in texture, with crème caramel and saffron, followed by bitter orange on the finish. Gourmet, powerful and concentrated, revealing as it opens in the glass the lime blossom and zest that lift the palate, keeping things light and sculpted through the finish. There were five weeks without rain between the picking of the dry white Y and the main estate wine Yquem — a full two months of harvest time. It required a lot of patience and resulted in a small final yield, but one of high quality. Around 50% of the production goes into Yquem. 145 g/l residual sugar and a pH of 3.95. Also tasted August 2020; same score.

An extremely polished and refined d’Yquem with lightly cooked peaches and mangos and an overlay of vanilla and cream with some lemon meringue. Orange peel, too. What is striking is the texture, which is creamy and so fine. The tannins give the wine energy and beauty. The finish is extremely long and impressive. So clean and refined. Not heavy at all, but vivid and clean as crystal. Goes on for minutes. Elegance with stature is a good description. Drinkable now, but better in 2023 and onwards.

Elegant, creamy, fresh, a sweet charmer. While it lacks the density and verve of the very best vintages, there is more than enough ripe and overripe pineapple, vanilla, roasted apricot, mango, candied orange rind, and honey to keep any taster busy. Lusciously textured, rich, and opulent, it will be delicious in its youth, and it also has the ability to age for decades.

Medium greenish yellow with silver reflections. Ripe yellow tropical fruit underlaid with fine savoury noble wood, candied orange and grapefruit, peach and blossom honey with some cookie notes in the background. Substantial, elegant, balanced ripeness, delicate coconut and lychee, creamy, silky texture, very poised, ripe peach, honey and white pepper on the very long finish. Shows great promise.

The 2018 d’Yquem has a pale to medium lemon-yellow color. It leaps from the glass with classic scents of preserved peaches, marmalade, and tropical notes, plus cedar, ginger, and honey. On the palate, it is rich, lively, layered, complex, and very long and spicy. Yum!

The nose is beautifully racy, elegant, and offers a hint of minerality as well as a fine grain. It reveals notes of fresh kumquat, ripe small citrus fruits and, more lightly, fresh Williams pear, combined with delicate touches of crisp apple and flowers, very subtle notes of almond and toast, as well as a discreet hint of vanilla. The palate is fruity, fresh, and balanced, offering lovely definition, precision, fine-grained texture, complexity, sweetness, an airy feel, fine substance (delicate like strands of silk), richness (all in finesse and control), elegance, and a pleasant freshness. On the palate, this wine expresses notes of crystallized lemon and crystallized mandarin and, more lightly, fleshy vineyard peach, combined with touches of candied citrus, roasted/ripe pineapple, and small discreet hints of apricot/apricot blossom, lemon blossom, almond, and a discreet hint of toast. Good length. Very fine hints of toasted almond/roasted hazelnut linger on the finish.

Bright yellow color. Intense, delicate, fruity, pure nose. A hint of coconut. A particularly fruity palate, offering a melting body and a noble texture. Very long, savory and complex finish. A delight.