CRITIC REVIEWS
Jancis Robinson
Two halves tasted towards the end of the JancisRobinson.com Christmas dinner were surprisingly different. They were both deep golden amber hue but with different intensities. The paler one was definitely simpler than the darker one. The former had an intense impact of sweetness beautifully counterbalanced by just the right amount of acidity and the special depth of Yquem with glossy satin texture. Candied-lemon flavour. The darker one, on the other hand, was much more intense and savoury in flavour with more complexity. Really intense and long. The score applies to the darker example, which continued to reverberate on the palate for minutes.
Jane Anson
This took home the audience award at the 67 Pall Mall tasting that I was hosting, with good reason. What a brilliant example of why Sauternes should be left to gather nuance and to shed its more exuberant, fattier early years before opening. This is just a masterclass in the layers and complexity that you find in fully mature Yquem; saffron, truffle, pineapple, quince, lime, apricots and lemon. Hugely persistent with a squeeze of scraping slate acidity through the final few minutes that gives a dry but mouthwatering finish. It is clearly in its tertiary phase in terms of the type of aromatics, and the beautiful amber, rose-gold colour, but there is no sense that it is beginning to run out of steam. A concentrated, gloriously balanced Yquem that has decades ahead of it, and fully justifies the reputation of the vintage. Count Alexandre Lur Saluces was heading up the estate at the time.