Château d'Yquem 2013

Excellent intensity and density for this vintage, with ripe pineapple and mango flavours. High residual sugar at 140 grams per litre balanced by fresh, crisp acidity.

Bright aromas of sliced mangoes, papaya, botrytis, and lemon follow through to a full body. Medium sweet with a phenolic palate that gives the wine structure and beauty. Electric acidity and freshness combined with impressive energy and length. A strict selection was made. 40% of the production was destined to the grand vin. About 80,000 bottles made. This is 70% semillon and 30% sauvignon blanc. Better in 2018.

Everything you want in a sweet wine is here. The vibrant acidity, layers of ripe and overripe tropical fruit, ladles of honey, and a fresh finish that just keeps going.

Medium green-yellow, silver reflections. Fine nuances of yellow tropical fruit, candied orange zest, dried apricot, fine savory botrytis notes. Juicy and complex on the palate, again with pleasant yellow-fruit nuances, finely structured, delicate play, mineral and highly elegant, lively and with a great future. Residual sugar is slightly higher at 140 grams, but the wine is rather light at 13.1% vol. A classic of tomorrow.

Intense, floral and aromatic with notes of spring flowers, honey, stone fruits, saffron and honey. Lush and bold palate with great freshness, layers of yellow fruits, very fine oak and an exceptionally long finish, great potential.

70% Sémillon, 30% Sauvignon Blanc. 140 grams of residual sugar. It was a fine, generous harvest, with only 40% selected for Yquem, the cellar master Sandrine Garbay told me when I tasted the wine at the start of En Primeur week, on Monday at 9:08 a.m., at Cheval-Blanc. Quite a deep yellow with the first golden glints, brilliant. Very intense, almost opulent bouquet: cooked Golden Delicious apples, mirabelles, freshly spun blossom honey, finely peppery botrytis. On the palate, Burgundian breadth, creamy flow, all in the yellow, ripe fruit register, with apricot jelly on the finish. For Sandrine, somewhere between “beautiful and great.” Yquem, as always, is a late bloomer and will likely catch up, at maturity, with the currently higher-rated Guiraud and Lafaurie-Peyraguey.

Fresh, mineral, complex bouquet: poached Williams pears, kumquats, mint, Alka‑Seltzer, honey, vanilla. Dense, velvety, finely opulent, full palate with powerful, silky sweetness, creamy, dense structure, fine, fresh acidity, multifaceted aromatics, opulent, powerful finish with superb afterflavors. 19/20 2024 - 2050

A blend of 70% Semillon and 30% Sauvignon Blanc, with 140 grams per liter of residual sugar, the 2013 Yquem has a medium straw-gold color. It is just starting to evolve into notes of straw, cashew nuts, and honey toast, with a core of apple pie, pear tart, and key lime pie. The palate is relatively elegant and refreshing, with a satiny texture and a refreshing lift on the finish.

Sumptuous expression of noble rot, more pronounced and better defined than in 2014, with indisputable perfection of craftsmanship.

The delicately powdery nose reveals notes of vanilla, peach and candied fruit. By contrast, the palate is serene, perhaps even a touch too restrained. This wine shows a high sweetness level, but the higher-than-usual proportion of Sauvignon adds freshness to its generosity.

The colour is pale. The nose is open, superb, very pineapple-driven. A supple, charming Yquem, with roundness, not the power of a 2001, plenty of charm, medium length. 13.1°, 140 g/L, pH 3.7, 4 g acidity. It was made with 30% Sauvignon, which makes it close to the 2004 (35% Sauvignon).

Intense golden yellow. An intense, complex bouquet with mineral and fruity touches. Notes of candied fruit and orange zest. There are also hints of biscuit, cocoa, lemon, and mirabelle plum. Dense, mineral, powerful attack. Beautiful structure that carries the fruit wonderfully through to the finish. Pineapple aromas on the finish. So much freshness and power. A great Yquem.

The nose is fruity, elegant and offers subtle richness. It reveals notes of pear, ripe red apple and fine hints of mirabelle plum, quince and apricot, combined with discreet touches of citrus, honey and delicate floral nuances. The palate is fruity, fine, fluid, well-balanced and offers lovely minerality, subtle richness, some roundness and flesh. On the palate, this wine shows notes of stewed pear, apple compote and candied lemon, combined with fine hints of zest and apricot, as well as a very discreet touch of vanilla in the background. Good length. A more “compote-like” style than in the 2014 and 2015 vintages, yet still perfectly balanced. Lovely smooth persistence with fine touches of dried apricot.

A whole complex world of tactile and aromatic nuances, with 30% Sauvignon for the first time. A delight and the best wine of the vintage.

Exactly in line with the brief; very harmonious, perfectly balanced by the maturation, with flesh, juiciness and freshness in equilibrium, a complex, long finish with notes of spices, flowers, fresh and candied fruit.

Lightly toasted marshmallow and macadamia nut aromas lead the way, followed by incredibly juicy mirabelle plum, green fig, and glazed pear and peach flavors. As big as this is, there are still plenty of honeysuckle, quinine and chamomile notes kicking the finish into yet another gear. This has purity and length to burn, with decades more to go. Best from 2020 through 2050. 6,665 cases made.

The 2013 Yquem is consistent with previous encounters. It has a fresh nose thanks to the contribution of the 30% Sauvignon Blanc, not as complex as other vintages, yet delineated with lemon rind and lychee hints bubbling up with time in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with a keen line of acidity, pure and beautifully integrated with the oak, yet missing the complexity of a top-flight Yquem.

96–98. Barrel Sample. The beautifully aromatic, honeyed scent leads into flavors of bitter orange and honey, along with extreme freshness. Notes of white peach and Rocha pear give richness to a wine that is not huge, but wonderfully balanced.