D'Yquem 2009 (750ML)

100 WA / 100 NM / 98 WS / 97 DE / 18 JR

Pale to medium gold colored, the 2009 d'Yquem bursts from the glass with gregarious crème caramel, allspice, dried apricots, mandarin peel and pineapple upside down cake scents plus a fragrant undercurrent of fungi, acacia honey, candied ginger, musk perfume and frangipani. Full-bodied and full-on hedonic in the mouth, the rich, tightly wound layers are still amazingly youthful with bags of citrus sparks and an incredibly long, perfumed finish. Possessing a residual sugar of 157 grams per liter and 13.6% alcohol as well as a laser-focused line of freshness, the rock-solid structure and through-the-roof opulence here is simply mind blowing. Pure perfection. - LPB, Wine Advocate

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.- Neal Martin, Wine Advocate

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.  — JM, Wine Spectator

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. Drinking Window 2021 - 2045 - Andy Howard MW, Decanter

More grassy than the 2015 just tasted, with honey and golden syrup and plenty of volatile-acidity character. Fatter and richer than the 2015, and a burnt-sugar flavour dominates. An embarrassment of riches. (RH), JancisRobinson .com