2013 Chateau Yquem 750ml

98 POINTS

Wine Spectator

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.

98 POINTS

James Suckling

Incredible aromas of botrytis, including freshly ground nutmeg and dried mushroom powder. Dried fruits. Full body with incredible clarity and balance. Very dense and gorgeous. Very sweet. It goes on for minutes. Really superb. A monument to the vintage. Breathtaking precision. A severe selection was made: 40% of the production was for the grand vin - about 80,000 bottles made. This is 70% sémillon and 30% sauvignon blanc - a little more of the latter than normal. They started harvesting the same day at Cheval Blanc, which is rare. Points: 98-99

98 POINTS

James Suckling

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% semillion and 30% sauvignon blanc. Better in 2018.

97 POINTS

Roger Voss - Wine Enthusiast

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.

97 POINTS

Falstaff

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

95 POINTS

Mike Bennie - The Wine Front

Interestingly, d’Yquem is one of the biggest estates by land in the whole of Bordeaux. That being said, the volume produced is strikingly low. There was no d’Yquem wine made in 2012, due to the low quality. It’s happened before, well, only ten times in documented memory, but this is the first instance in this century. Grey rot was the issue. An exceptional vintage for sweet wines with a quick four week harvest. Price is near-estimated for 750ml bottle on arrival. Beautifully fresh and clean scented perfume. High tone creme brulee/caramel scents with fresh cut stone fruit, green apple, candied mixed peel, lush honey notes and some hay, honeycomb and straw savoury notes. Slick, rich, luscious in the palate. Such depth of flavour. Feels infinite, almost overwhelming, gummy stickiness through palate and finishes with lingering, tongue coating sweetness. Incredible, for texture more than anything. Very young incarnation; feels like it needs a lot more time, hence a later drinker window start. En Primeur via Negociants

Jeannie Cho Lee MW - Decanter

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. Score: 18.5/NaN