Château d'Yquem 2009

The significant proportion of Sauvignon (20%) gives this 2009 a great freshness, despite its 155 g of sugar per liter. In terms of richness, it comes close to the very famous 2001!

Served from an ex-chateau bottle. The 2009 Chateau d’Yquem is one showstopper of a wine and perhaps it is only in a vertical that you realize this is up there among the legendary wines of the past – the 2001 included. It has a wonderful nose that expresses the Semillon component majestically: heady aromas of lemon curd, nectarine, jasmine and honeysuckle that all gain momentum in the glass. The oak is supremely well-integrated. The palate is extremely well-balanced with an unctuous entry. You are immediately knocked sideways by the palpable weight and volume in the mouth, which is almost “bulbous,” with layer upon layer of heavily botrytized fruit. It builds to a spicy finish with hints of marzipan and pralines in the background that lend it an untrammeled sense of exoticism. The 2009 is utterly fabulous and decadent, a star that will blaze brightly and undimmed for many years. Drink now-2060+. Tasted March 2014.

The aromas are closed today, but the core is loaded with apricot, nectarine and orange notes, bolted by a citrus zest spine and backed by toasted almond and piecrust accents on the finish. A large-scale Yquem that shows the richness of the vintage. -- Non-blind Yquem vertical (July 2014). Best from 2020 through 2050. 10,000 cases made.

From a dry, hot year, this Yquem has retained all the freshness of a great Sauternes combined with massive intensity of ultra-ripe grapes. It lacks the additional complexity of more botrytised vintages but makes up for this with the wonderful balance of sweetness, orange zest notes and tingling acidity. Not a fat style of Yquem, the acidity makes this very refreshing. Can be enjoyed now but has the concentration to last at least another two decades.

The length here is exceptional, with intensity yet subtlety. Full and medium-sweet with bright, exciting acidity. It’s all in balance. Crème brûlée, pineapple, and papaya. The finish goes on and on. It’s fabulous already. It will age forever, but it’s already a joy to taste—even to drink. Better in 2020.

The 2009 d'Yquem is a vintage to which I have awarded perfect scores in the past; however, neither bottle merits that on this occasion. The first bottle feels scalped, so much so that a second bottle is opened. This one has a very refined and sophisticated bouquet with wild honey, brioche, vanilla pod and light orange blossom aromas, beautifully refined. The palate is very well defined with fine acidity, very elegant in style with pure botrytised fruit and superb acidity on the finish. Ah… that’s more like it. However, on this occasion it does not quite hit the high notes. Tasted blind at Farr Vintners’ 2009 Bordeaux tasting.

Young, rich, opulent, silky, fresh, vibrant, full, and deep, with enough blazing acidity to allow all the layers of vanilla and honey-coated orange and yellow tropical fruits to bathe your palate again and again with this stunning, sweet treat. OK, so this is still obviously young, and primary, but it is such a delicious experience now, that it was impossible to put my glass down. Patience might be a virtue. But there are times when patience is over rated.

Bright medium golden yellow, silver reflections. Fresh orange blossom, a hint of bourbon vanilla, fresh apricot, a touch of grapefruit zest, floral, an incredibly multi-faceted fragrance. Juicy, elegant, creamy texture, ripe pineapple and yellow peach, finely integrated wood nuances, light caramel on the finish, good freshness. Already gluggable.

Medium yellow with linden-green nuances, bright. Seldom has a barrel sample of Yquem shown such freshness! The 2009 initially smells like a peppery Barsac, revealing lovely citrus notes, freshly stewed yellow apricots and mirabelles, becoming denser and sweeter, gathering focus. On the palate, sublime, complex, and despite the powerful, almost oily body, somehow dancing; the finish offers greengages, yellow plums, acacia honey, and, with pink grapefruit and dried apricot accents, it almost recalls a Late-Harvest Viognier.

Medium yellow with linden-green nuances, bright. Rarely has a barrel sample of Yquem shown such freshness; on first nose it evokes a peppery Barsac, with beautiful citrus notes, freshly cooked yellow apricots and mirabelles, gaining in density and sweetness as it tightens. On the palate it’s sublime, complex and, despite the powerful, almost oily body, the wine still dances; the finish brings greengages, yellow plums, acacia honey, and an affinity that, with flavors of pink grapefruit and dried apricots, almost recalls a Late-Harvest Viognier. In 2001 the residual sugar was 150 g/L; in this 2009 it is 155 g/L. Since 1893, this is the largest harvest by volume at Yquem. A full 160,000 bottles of this divine nectar will be filled. Tasted at Cheval-Blanc. Not in the hall where, during the official tasting week, more than 1,500 people sipped barrel samples of the red wines presented, but at the Château, at the salon table. A privilege, therefore, reserved for far fewer tasters.

Concentrated, complex, opulent, creamy bouquet, banana, citrus, passion fruit. Concentrated, creamy, opulent, powerful palate with a concentrated, generous structure, pronounced sweetness, good acidity, superb aromatics, very long, creamy finish. 20/20 drink - 2080

Rich, nuanced, opulent, intense, totally gorgeous, smoked caramel, powerful citrus and pink grapefruit, pineapple, saffron, tarte Tatin, almonds, truffles, hard to beat. 137 g/L residual sugar.

A blend of 80% Semillon and 20% Sauvignon Blanc, with 155 grams per liter of residual sugar, the 2009 Yquem has a pale to medium straw-gold color. It waltzes out with gregarious notions of key lime pie, orange blossoms, and juicy white peaches, followed by suggestions of ginger ale, wet pebbles, and allspice. The big, concentrated, decadently rich palate is fantastically balanced, with a laser-precise line of freshness cutting through the tightly wound layers, finishing very long, with loads of citrusy sparks.

Concentration, harmony, freshness, complexity. Everything is there! A wine for the Ages.

Long, refined, very elegant, on par with 1989, and moreover it is subtle.

Very deep and fresh, the bouquet of Yquem 2009 reveals a multitude of nuances. They range from notes of fennel, mirabelle plums, dried apricots and bananas! A pleasant and refreshing earthy touch, reminiscent of celery. With a little air, the wine also reveals nuances of cocoa beans and acacia blossom, followed by aromas of peaches, rhubarb and mint. I’ll stop there, as this bouquet ultimately has a thousand and one notes to reveal! On the palate, the wine is creamy yet lively. As expected, the aromatic expression is as impressive as the olfactory character. Such intensity, density and persistence. A monument built to defy many decades.

Logo on the cork: The crown Golden yellow color with even greener highlights. Intense, delicate nose, immediately marked by fresh oak. Truffled. Very refined on the attack, melting and precise in texture, with a roasted nuance absent on the nose; the wine lacks both the mid-palate and the finish of the previous one, even though it lingers for a long time. For the first time, a negative effect related to the cork comes to mind. Indeed, taken from the same case and in the same place, I rated it 20 (100) in July 2016. Statistically, it’s the cork (see logo) with the highest percentage of poor behavior in the bottle that I know. Yquem has abandoned this brand (Bouchons Franco Portugais) since the 2013 vintage.

98-100 Barrel sample. The aromas are so rich and powerful, with great ripe apricots. There are honey, spice and beautiful sweet spiced pears. This is an extraordinary wine in an extraordinary year in Sauternes.