White Bordeaux

ROBERT PARKER: 98

NEAL MARTIN: 95

JANCIS ROBINSON: 17.5

WINE SPECTATOR: 83

DECANTER:

With greater evidence of botrytis than the colossal 1983, but less power and alcohol, the 1986 d'Yquem tastes reminiscent of the 1975, only more precocious. Several highly respected Bordeaux negociants who are d'Yquem enthusiasts had claimed the 1986 d'Yquem was the greatest wine produced at the property since the legendary 1937. However, after the release of the 1988 they concluded that the 1988 surpassed even the 1986. The 1986's enthralling bouquet of pineapples, sauteed hazelnuts, vanillin, and ripe apricots is breathtaking. Compellingly concentrated, its breadth as well as depth of flavor seemingly know no limits. This full-bodied, powerful, yet impeccably elegant d'Yquem should provide memorable drinking for 40-55 more years. Anticipated maturity: 2000-2040. Last tasted, 7/93.| Wine Advocate.August, 1993

Score: 98 Robert Parker, Bordeaux Book (4), December 2003 The favorite sweet wine of millionaires, Chateau d'Yquem has, not unexpectedly, turned in a brilliant effort with their newly released 1989. It is a large-scaled, massively rich, unctuously-textured wine that should evolve effortlessly for a half century or more. It does not reveal the compelling finesse and complexity of the 1988 or 1986, but it is a far heavier, richer wine than either of those vintages. It is reminiscent of the 1976, with additional fat and glycerin. The wine is extremely alcoholic and rich, with a huge nose of smoky, honey-covered coconuts and overripe pineapples and apricots. As with most young vintages of Yquem, the wine's structure is barely noticeable. These wines are so highly extracted and rich yet approachable young, it is difficult to believe they will last for 50 or more years. The 1989 is the richest Yquem made in the eighties, and it has an edge in complexity over the powerhouse 1983. It remains to be seen whether this wine will develop the extraordinary aromatic complexity possessed by the promising 1988 and 1986 Yquems. Last tasted 11/97 Score: 97

Rating

95

Release Price

$200 - 250

Drink Date

2012 - 2060

Reviewed by

 Robert M. Parker, Jr.

Issue Date

23rd Apr 2003

Source

146, The Wine Advocate

Compared with the flamboyant aromatics of the 1997, Yquem's 1996 plays it closer to the vest, although there is a lot going on. Light gold with a tight but promising nose of roasted hazelnuts intermixed with creme brulee, vanilla beans, honey, orange marmalade, and peaches, this medium to full-bodied offering reveals loads of power in its restrained, measured personality. There is admirable acidity, weight, texture, and purity in this impeccably made Yquem. However, patience will be a virtue. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2060.  

Rating:

95

Price ($)

NA

Drink Date

2003 - 2053

Reviewed by

Robert M. Parker, Jr.

Issue Date

31st Oct 2003

Source

149, The Wine Advocate

The 1998 Chateau Yquem was released several months ago. This estate does not allow tasting from cask (where the wine spends 42 months), and it is not released until five years after the vintage. The 1998 Yquem (95 points) is a great success. Made in an elegant style, it is not a blockbuster such as 1990, 1989, and 1988. It is well-delineated, with wonderfully sweet aromas of creme brulee, pineapples, apricots, and white flowers. Medium to full-bodied, it is not as sweet as the biggest/richest Yquem vintages, but it is gorgeously pure, precise, and strikingly complex. Already approachable, it should evolve for 30-50 years ... without a doubt.

A prodigious offering, the 2001 Climens’ light medium bold color with a greenish hue is followed by ethereal aromas of tropical fruits (primarily pineapple), honeysuckle, and flowers. It is a medium-bodied wine of monumental richness, extraordinary precision/delineation, great purity, and moderate sweetness. The finish seemingly lasts forever. This monumental effort is the stuff of legends. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2040+.

Score: 100 Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (153), June 2004

Score: 96/99 Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (146), April 2003

The Climens 2001 has always possessed a deliriously complex and intense bouquet that is beautifully defined: dried quince and marmalade, honeycomb and antique furniture. There is an inchoate, resinous element that will surely surface over the next decade or so. This is a bouquet that demands attention and in this blind tasting, sticks out from the crowd, a sui generis. Since I last tasted it, the palate has opened up and is beginning to pump on all cylinders. It is wonderfully balanced with fabulous intensity and a long, citrus-tinged finish that is utterly beguiling. As Kate Bush once sang: "Wow". Drink 2014-2040

Score: 99 Neal Martin, Wine Advocate (215), October 2014

Proprietor Berenice Lurton continues to turn out one of the utterly profound wines from the Barsac Sauternes region. The 2006 is not up there with their perfect 2001, but it is a beautiful wine and stands out as one of the top wines of 2006. Medium gold, with a slightly more advanced color than I am used to seeing in a young Climens, the wine displays waxy honeyed pineapple and delicate marmalade and citrus notes with a restrained use of new oak. The wine cuts a full-bodied swath across the palate with terrific acidity, freshness, and moderate sweetness. This is a beauty, but perhaps on a much faster evolutionary track than some of their greatest vintages.

93-96 RPRobert Parker, Wine Advocate # 176 93 WSRich, powerful, perfumed aromas of lemon pie, cooked apple and melon lead to a full body, with a fabulous density that persists. Gorgeous, with lovely richness and balance. Best after 2011. James Suckling,Wine Spectator 2010

Rounded and broad in feel for now, with richly layered toasted almond, ginger cream, brioche and glazed apple notes that all glide through the viscous finish, where a flash of green tea can be found. This has the buried zip for the long haul, which it will need to assimilate fully. There's lots in reserve. Best from 2015 through 2034. 4,165 cases made. Score: 95

This full-bodied blend of 54% Sauvignon Blanc and 46% Semillon has a level of concentration and intensity that makes it the dry white wine of the vintage. Loads of minerality, a hint of subtle spice, but mostly just pure orange marmalade, candle wax, honeysuckle and caramelized melons make for a full-bodied, distinctive style of wine to drink over the next 50+ years.

Score: 98 Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (205), March 2013

A blend of 54% Sauvignon Blanc and 46% Semillon, this singular, compelling white exhibits notes of orange blossoms, lemons, melons, crushed rocks, spice and flowers. It is a sensational, provocative, full-bodied dry white to enjoy over the next 40 years.

Score: 94/97 Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (194), May 2011

Tasted at Chateau Haut-Brion. There is a slight floral aspect to the nose of the Haut Brion Blanc with hints of almond, white chocolate and fresh pear underpinned by fine minerality. The palate is medium-bodied with crisp citric fruit on the opening. It is slightly more phenolic than recent vintages, just a hint of white pepper tingling on the tongue with a well-balanced finish that is persistent. Good potential. Tasted November 2012.

Score: 95 Neal Martin, eRobertParker.com, February 2013

A stunner, sporting tropical mango and papaya notes that glide along beautifully, while heather honey, pineapple chutney and toasted coconut flavors fill in through the finish. Delivers an amazing mouthfeel that is both creamy and intense, with a pretty inner floral brightness that contrasts with the fruit. Best from 2020 through 2045. 6,665 cases made.

Score: 98 James Molesworth, WineSpectator.com, February 2017

The 2014 d'Yquem has a complex bouquet with buttered toast, almond, honey and peach skin aromas. It opens with greater zeal than its peers, there is more immediacy here. The palate is very well balanced with crisp acidity, a finely tuned and satisfying Sauternes with style and grace, evincing great tension and mineral drive towards the finish. Superb. Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting. 2020 - 2055

Score: 97 Neal Martin, vinous.com, March 2018

Very subtle Yquem on the nose with dried pineapple, lemons, green apples and hints of botrytis. The palate grabs you by the arms and shows you superb concentration of spices, dried fruit, phenolics and incredible energy. Nothing is like this from Sauternes this vintage! Drink whenever you like. Spellbinding.

Score: 98 James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com, February 2017

A crazy combination of botrytis, dried fruits and freshness. It's not the sweetest Yquem but it has an extraordinary depth of fruit and freshness. It goes on for minutes. Spicy and intense. A stunning young wine. A brightness and fabulous depth of fruit.

Score: 97/98 James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com, March 2015

The 2014 d'Yquem is a wine of restraint above all else. Candied lemon, orange peel, apricot jam, graphite and almond are some of the many threads in a rich fabric that envelops all the senses. A wine of contrasts, the 2014 is at times delicate, while in other moments it is more powerful. Although striking, the 2014 falls just short of being profound. In exchange, readers will find an Yquem that will give up its charms on the earlier side.

Score: 95 Antonio Galloni, vinous.com, February 2017

Bright gold with a green note. Intense freshness on the nose. Fabulous nose of richness and freshness. The residual sugar is not high but the balance is great. Lime and pears and great richness and almost like a fruit juice, it's so refreshing yet dense and sweet. 13.35%
Drink 2020-2050

Score: 19 Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com, April 2015

The greatest sweet wine of Bordeaux and without doubt one of the world's most famous wines. There is no denying outstanding quality is consistently maintained here but pricing in some recent vintages has been too high. The 2013 was not sold en primeur and the 2012 vintage was not produced. This vintage will also not be released en Primeur but held back until 2016.

  Farr Vintners, March 2015

Floral fragrant the nose is quite light with tangerine freshness the palate richer sweet fruit apricot and candied peel. The honeyed sweetness on the mid palate is balanced by freshness at the back stylish and fragrant this is not a heavyweight but has elegance and charm. 2016-35

Score: 93/97 Derek Smedley MW, April 2015

In a very good to excellent year for Sauternes, this was the outstanding wine, as it often is. Picked in four selections between September 5th and October 30th, it had 100% botrytis infection. Exotic, honeyed yet gloriously refreshing, with notes of lemon tart and nutmeg spice, it lingers tantalisingly on the palate.

Score: 97 Tim Atkin MW, timatkin.com, April 2015

Score: 97 Decanter Magazine, April 2015

A blend of 80% Sauvignon Blanc and 20% Semillon, the 2017 Blanc comes sailing out of the glass with bold notes of white peaches, fresh pineapple, lemon tart and lime cordial plus suggestions of honeysuckle, beeswax and musk perfume with a touch of wild sage. Medium-bodied and with a beautiful silky texture, the palate is packed with vibrant stone fruit and tropical fruit flavors, sporting a racy line of freshness, and it finishes long with an invigorating lift. 2020 - 2034

Score: 94 Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, Wine Advocate (March 2020), March 2020

Cos d'Estournel started making this white wine in 2005 from the Goulée vineyard. The 2017 Blanc is composed of 80% Sauvignon Blanc and 20% Sémillon. It gives beautiful, expressive grapefruit, ripe peach and passion fruit notes with touches of baker’s yeast, powdered ginger, nutmeg and beeswax. Medium-bodied, vibrant, racy and with great finesse, it has a very long citrus and tropical fruit-laced finish. With plenty of structure and intensity, it should age reasonably well.

Score: 90/92 Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, Wine Advocate (236), April 2018

This is a very rich white with sliced, dried mango and apple, as well as cooked apples, candle wax and light vanilla. Full-bodied, layered and intense. Big, rich wine, yet remaining fresh and vivid. Needs time to come together. A blend of 80% sauvignon blanc and 20% semillon. but the semillon really marks the wine. Searing acidity, too. Try after 2021.

Score: 96 James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com, January 2020

This is going to be a wonderful Cos white with green mangoes, sliced apples and crushed-stone character. Green kiwis, too. Full-bodied and very rich with tension and brightness. Fantastic length. 80% sauvignon blanc and 20% semillon.

Score: 96/97 James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com, April 2018