2019 Ch D’Yquem Sauternes Half Bottle 375ml, Bordeaux

Half Bottle 375ml

Tasted in early February at Chateau d’Yquem with Pierre Lurton and Lorenzo Pasquini.

Yquem 2019 (55% Sémillon; 45% Sauvignon Blanc; alcohol 14.5%; pH 3.90; residual sugar 138 g/L).

This is uniquely brilliant and brilliantly unique – a singular but utterly sublime Yquem. There are two kind of vintage when it comes to Yquem: those in which it is the very best of a closely bunched group of wondrous Sauternes and Barsac and others in which it is in a league and of a class entirely of its own. 2019, like 2015, belongs to the second category of vintages – premier cru supérieur indeed!

An incredibly vibrant and energetic wine. It is also fantastically complex. One starts almost to engage in a game of auto-suggestion – any citrus or umami note you can or could ever imagine is discernible here, you just have to conjure the idea in your head and there it is! Indeed, once one tunes into its wavelength it is almost impossible not to be struck by how clearly present and how well expressed each such element is. I wonder how many other vintages of Yquem one can play this game with. The problem, of course, is that this renders rather redundant the convention of listing even the most obvious elements. But the most striking, to me, it seems are saffron, mimosa and clementine, confit lime and white grapefruit, toasted brioche with melted beurre à la fleur de sel, frangipane, verbena, crushed mint leaf, apricot skin and confit ginger. More important is the overall impression: of total harmony, brightness, lift, levity, translucence and clarity. This is sinuous rather than linear; scintillating and pixilated rather than precisely focused per se and staggeringly complex and dynamic. It is also incredibly accessible, with all of its brilliant complexity of youth so evident. The acidity and the sense of crystalline clarity that it brings is captivating too.

Very intellectual, even for Yquem and unlike any other Yquem I have ever tasted, at least in part because of the higher proportion of Sauvignon Blanc in the final blend. Pierre Lurton reminds me of Frédéric Dard’s famous comment: “Yquem est la lumière bu”. Indeed. 

99 points Arabella Mileham The Drinks Business

Owners LVMH took the decision to delay the release of the 2019 Yquem until spring 2022. It was tasted with winemaker Sandrine Garbay in London. After the summer drought when Sauternes received just 2.5mm of rain until 26 July, that day saw a 112mm deluge that replenished underground reserves and gave ripening the push it needed. Dry and warm conditions prevailed throughout September when there was no sign of botrytis infection. That was finally provoked by 38mm of rain between 21 and 25 of September, followed by warm clement weather. After minor picking of Sauvignon Blanc on 7 of October, the main harvest began in earnest on 10 October. Pickers worked over the following five days, including Sunday. Time was of the essence because, as forecasts predicted, the weather suddenly changed on 14 of October with 40mm or rain. After that, the picking teams skirted between showers between 17 and 22 of October, though by now the fruit had begun to deteriorate. Therefore, the key aspect of this Yquem is the extremely tight picking window. The final blend contains 138g/L residual sugar, which is slightly less than the previous vintage, with 5.5g/L total acidity and 14.4% alcohol.

Tasting the 2019, I noticed that it has a slightly paler hue compared to recent vintages (though I never read too much into the colour of young Sauternes.) For certain, it has a highly-aromatic bouquet that is beguiling in purity, enticing aromas of honeysuckle and saffron, soon joined by camomile, white flowers and orange blossom. It has wonderful delineation and gains intensity with aeration. The palate is supremely well-balanced with fine bead of acidity. Very harmonious and armed with just the right amount of viscosity, this Yquem is surprisingly understated at first but gains presence, offering irresistible flavours of layers of honey, lemongrass, lemon thyme and orange pith. Yquem is so tempting in its youth, but I feel that this vintage will repay those with the nous to cellar for at least a decade. Drink 2032 - 2080.

98 points - Neal Martin, vinous.com