2015 Chateau d’Yquem Premier Cru Superieur, Sauternes 6x75cl

Wine Advocate 100

Following a very long harvest stretching nearly two months, the 2015 Chateau d’Yquem came in at 13.9% alcohol and 144 grams per liter of residual sugar, sporting a pH of 3.65 and six grams per liter of tartaric acid. None of these numbers, however, even remotely begin to tell you how profound this wine is. The nose opens with electric notes of ripe pineapples, green mango, orange blossoms and lemon tart with hints of fungi, lime zest, crushed rocks and jasmine. The freshness on the palate is just astonishing, permeating and lifting layer upon layer of tropical fruits and earthy notions, all encased in a sumptuous texture and culminating in a very, very long, mineral-tinged finish. Truly, this is a legendary vintage for d’Yquem. I’ve been conservative with my drinking window here, and I would not be at all surprised if our descendants are drinking this vintage well into the next century. [Lisa Perrotti-Brown, 16/04/2018]

Anticipated maturity: 2025-2065

Antonio Galloni 98

The 2015 d’Yquem is without question one of the wines of the vintage. Just as alluring from bottle as it was from barrel, the 2015 is a wine that engages all of the senses, from the intellectual to the more hedonistic. Lilting notes of pineapple, mint, orange peel and white flowers grace the palate, but it is the wine’s sense of balance and total harmony that impress most. In 2015, Yquem had its earliest start to the harvest since 1893. Even so, the winemaking team did a magnificent job of preserving freshness. The 2015 was fermented in 100% new oak, and residual sugar is 145 grams per liter, but great wine is never about numbers. Above all else, the 2015 Yquem is a wine of energy and class. Don’t miss it! [Antonio Galloni, 02/01/2018]

Anticipated maturity: 2025-2065

JancisRobinson.com 19.5

Utter joy. Marmalade, vanilla, mixed spice, cream, butter. Unctuous without excess. Finely tuned with impossibly good balance. (RH) [17/02/2020]

Anticipated maturity: 2020-2050

vinum 95

Slightly oxidative and older. Creamy and broad. [Matthew Hemming, 01/02/2025]

Neal Martin 94+

The 2015 d’Yquem feels a little disjointed on the nose at first, but it coalesces nicely to reveal smoke, dried honey, saffron and orange rind aromas. The palate is well balanced with a viscous opening, the acidity nicely judged with lime, orange rind and quince toward the finish that shuts down quickly. Some readers may be surprised by my score, but Yquem often closes down and consequently suffers in blind tastings like this. It will surely come back but it will need cellaring to show its rip-roaring best. Tasted blind at the Southwold 2015 Bordeaux tasting. [Neal Martin, 09/07/2019]

Anticipated maturity: 2030-2075