d'Yquem 2011

robert_parker94

Reviewed by: Neal Martin

Tasted blind at the Sauternes 2011 horizontal tasting. The Château Yquem 2011 has a complex bouquet, one that is very well defined with hints of petrol infusing the rich honeyed fruit, later melted wax and fresh peach coming through. The palate is well balanced with a strong viscous entry. There is plenty of residual sugar here and I would have preferred a little more acidic bite to offset that rich, decadent finish (this is despite their correct policy of blending non-botrytized berries in order to increase acidity.) Powerful, burly even, I would give this several years in the cellar to allow this Yquem to mellow and enter its stride.

robert_parker98

Reviewed by: Neal Martin

The 2011 has a clear silvery gold hue, perhaps not quite as deep as I recall the 2010 last year. The bouquet is very fragrant and well-defined, with scents of wild honey, honeysuckle and a touch of vanilla. It is a refined, sedate and beautifully focused bouquet that does not need to show off. The palate displays superb weight in the mouth, even though at first it seems almost understated. Yet there is clearly a high level of spicy, botrytized fruit with notes of honey, orange zest and a touch of mandarin. There is no explosion on the finish; the 2011 is rather a lesson in control, complexity and nuance. It is utterly seductive. Drink 2016-2040+. The 2011 commenced with picking on September 6, the fourth earliest in its history, although they waited until September 12 to really get going in the vineyard. The harvest was over four tries until the October 5, peaking on the last day of the second trie on September 23. There is a very low level of volatility compared to the level of residual sugar, which at 144 grams per liter is almost the same as 2010.

robert_parker97

Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.

The 2011 d'Yquem seems to be a close cousin of the 2001 and possibly the 1988. Light gold in color, restrained but pure and noble, it offers an intense bouquet of honeysuckle, caramelized apricot and white peach with a subtle hint of toasty oak. It builds slowly but beautifully to a full-bodied wine with a long finish. This vintage is about restraint and perfect balance despite the 144 grams of residual sugar. Some vintages are more exuberant or flamboyant, but 2011 is racy and compelling. Of course, these wines can be drunk young, but expect the 2011 to age for 50-75+ years in a good cellar.

robert_parker96

Reviewed by: Neal Martin

Served from an ex-chateau bottle. Bottled in October 2013, the 2011 Chateau d’Yquem is reticent at first, a little stage fright perhaps. It soon recovers and offers gorgeous scents with fresh white peach, nectarine and fresh apricot that are beautifully defined, although there is a veneer of new oak that will need to be subsumed. The palate is well-balanced with superb structure. There is a light spiciness here with great symmetry, and although there is not the persistency of a top flight Yquem, it has a penetration that is compelling. Tasted March 2014.

robert_parker94

Reviewed by: Yohan Castaing

The 2011 d'Yquem offers up a spicy, powerful bouquet with aromas of nuts, sweet spices, saffron, exotic fruit, baked pineapple and a touch of oak with aeration. Moderately weighted, with a tense, elegant mid-palate, it’s a gourmand and satiny wine with ripe acids and a saline finish. The inaugural "trie," or initial grape selection, began on September 6, rendering it the fourth-earliest in a span of 125 years, with only 1893, 1960 and 1997 preceding it. The harvest concluded with notable promptness on the October 5.

vinous98

Reviewed by: Ian d'Agata

Luminous golden yellow. Cool, pure aromas of white peach, honeyed mango, guava nectar, white flowers and saffron are complicated by elements of crushed stone and spicy lemony botrytis. Suave and intensely flavored, with mineral-spiced apple, mango, passion fruit and grapefruit flavors offering outstanding purity, precision, and depth. The brisk but harmonious acidity gives this great Sauternes a penetrating quality and provides a powerful spine to the very deep flavors, making it seem less opulent than it really is. This Yquem has the depth of the 2007 but boasts even greater purity and focus. Finishes bright and extremely long, with repeating suggestions of white flowers and lemony botrytis. Though it lacks the depth of the 2001 or the opulence of the 2009 at a similar stage of development, this is one of my favorite young Yquems ever: it will age spectacularly well.

vinous100

Reviewed by: Ian d'Agata

(80% semillion and 20% sauvignon blanc; 3.8 pH; 144 g/l residual sugar; 13.8% alcohol): Bright yellow-gold. Captivating nose is marked by sexy lemony botrytis, white peach, mango, guava and saffron. Enters the mouth very dense but remarkably vibrant and pristine thanks to lively acidity, then turns richer and more unctuous in the mid-palate, displaying knockout flavors of fresh tropical fruit, white peach, white flowers, beeswax and wet stone. The finish is pure and extremely long. This amazing young Yquem, one of the finest in the last dozen years, perfectly combines elements of the fresher, more refined Yquems of the recent Dubourdieu years with the more exotic, opulent personality of the wines made under Alexandre de Lur Saluces. The harvest began on September 6 (only in 1893 did it begin earlier) with the young sauvignon blanc vines and even some semillon to preserve freshness. There were four tries in total, ending on October 5. General Manager Pierre Lurton told me that picking practically all the botrytized grapes very quickly in September was the key to guaranteeing a pure, fresh botrytis component. Sandrine Garbay, who has been maitre de chai at d'Yquem for 18 years, also believes this to be one of the top Yquems in recent memory, though it really doesn't remind her of any previous Yquem vintage with possible exception of the 2001.

vinous94

Reviewed by: Neal Martin

The 2011 Yquem was picked over four tries from 6 September, the earliest for 125 years until 5 October. Slightly paler in colour compared to the 2001 alongside, it has a well defined and slightly Germanic bouquet with that petrol note still present, allied with peach and apricot, honeysuckle and desiccated orange peel. The palate is fresh and vibrant with crisp acidity, a slight waxy texture, mango and quince laced with a touch of lemongrass towards the refined and quite approachable finish. What a pretty Yquem the 2011 is turning into.

vinous95

Reviewed by: Neal Martin

The 2011 Château d'Yquem has a powerful and well defined bouquet, very pure with honey, barley sugar and quince. The palate is well balanced with a fine bead of acidity that cuts through the concentrated botrytised fruit. Very persistent and quite rich on the finish, this is decadent and rather gorgeous. Long-term. Tasted blind at the annual 10-Year-On tasting.