Chateau d'Yquem 2014

Exquisite, refined, endlessly long, perfectly balanced.

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.

Lively, pure and fresh aromas, with pear and citrus notes. So rich and concentrated on the palate, yet a flare of acidity provides tension and draws the wine out on the finish.

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.

RS 134 g/l. Tasted blind. Rather light nose but fabulous excitement underneath. Such tension and depth of detail. Very broad and nervy. (JR)

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

Very much on the honeyed, citrus side of the style range. Lots of sweet, ripe, very ripe and overripe yellow fruits, ranging from pineapple and grapefruits to candied lemons. There is a lot of sweetness to the wine, paired with bracing acidity at 4.9 grams per liter, coupled with 135 grams of residual sugar, for those of you that like the numbers. This could be a thinking man's Yquem.

Tasted, as always, at Cheval Blanc. 135 grams of residual sugar. Medium-deep yellow, therefore quite intense, with a luminous rim. It shows a very fresh bouquet with plenty of lemony shimmer and even more yellow fruit such as mirabelle and cooked white peach; since the drive is not excessive, the intense botrytis comes through beautifully. On the palate, sublime, fresh, and extremely elegant. Its potential superiority to other crus lies in the finesse. Thus, this brilliant Yquem is not as heavy as in other truly great vintages, but even shows an almost dancing variant. It will please early and offer a very long finish. Its perfect balance ensures this.

Tasted, as always, at Cheval Blanc. 135 grams of residual sugar. Medium-deep yellow, quite intense, with a bright rim. It shows a very fresh bouquet with lots of citrusy shimmer and even more yellow fruits like mirabelle plum and cooked white peach; since the pressure isn’t excessive, the intense botrytis comes through beautifully. On the palate, sublime, fresh, and extremely elegant. Its potential superiority over other crus lies in the finesse. Thus, this brilliant Yquem is not as heavy as in other truly great vintages, and even displays an almost dancing profile. It will be appealing early and will offer a very long finish. Its perfect balance ensures that.

Fresh, elegant, complex, velvety bouquet with stewed Williams pears, mirabelles, fine citrus, linden blossom, chalk. Opulent, powerful, velvety palate with very good fruit, generous sweetness, creamy, dense structure, fine acidity, multifaceted aromatics, very long, dense finish with plenty of lingering flavors. 19/20 2025 - 2050

A long and delicate harvest, with a remarkable first pass thanks to the early ripening of the vintage, and an overall high-level profile, with no aromatic or structural weakness (13.4% and 134 g/L of sugar).

The apricot aroma is superb. The wine is full-bodied with a very fine sweetness, a great success, elegant, with just a slight leanness from the vintage mid‑palate, but the wine has depth and finishes on lovely candied lemon. Balance: 13.4% alcohol and 134 g/L of residual sugar. pH 3.60.

Golden-yellow color. An intense, subtle nose with ripe fruit, minty and very fresh. A soft, melting palate with an airy body, developing deliciously toward a long, complex finish, sappy and noble.

97–99. Barrel Sample. Apricot tones with lively acidity give this rich wine a vein of freshness. Pear and white peach notes offer weight, while a lime backbone brings levity. There is a richness from the botrytis that is lifted by this wine’s delicious freshness.