Chateau d’Yquem 2003 (Sauternes, France)
$350 (approx 375ml), Cork, 13.5%
Firstly, a big thanks has to go to Patrick The Wining Pom for sharing this bottle with us. It was, as Patrick describes so well here, a wonderful experience to enjoy a world class wine with the some likely winos.
And world class it was. Near perfect even. Everything you could possibly want in a botrytised sweet wine. What I remember most (it was a long night) was the length. It’s the sort of wine that you can’t forget, for it lingers. Specifics? On the nose this showed pineapple, creme caramel and lemon/orange marmalade characters with some custard oak on the fringes. Palate wise it’s rich – a warm year wine – and plusher than some other Yquems, loaded with more of the orange/lemon marmalade fruit flavours alongside ginger, pineapple and toffee. Lots of flavour here, bounds of flavour even, all honey sweet and viscous through the middle.
At this point it sounds sweet and fat doesn’t it? But that’s where the juxtaposition starts, for it’s a sweet wine that’s firmly acidic, marked by plenty of that grapefruit natural acid. What really propels this forward too – and marks it as something special – is just how perfectly balanced it is. It’s a massive wine, loaded with serious botrytis characters and intense sweetness (which I’ll admit not everyone loves) but it never actually feels heavy, or tart, or even overly sweet. It’s just perfect.
Yes. More please. Absolute perfection in a bottle. 19.5/98
Help keep this site paywall free – donate here
You might also like
13 Comments
Have you had many vintages of Yquem? Just curious because I have not had the 2003 and was wondering where you might place it.
GW
This is my 3rd Yquem. Wish I could afford to drink more!
Had an 01 and a 95 (i think) as well. Liked this 03 the best out of the lot – seemed larger and more open but also the most drinkable.
Had the 01 (blind) at AWAC back in 07 and found it very backward.
Have you had the vintages around it GW? I'm guessing that the 00 vintage might be similar?
Most recent one I've had is the 01. I'd imagine the 03 would be a law unto itself given the vintage. I'm not a big one for (any sort of) sweet wine..have a '97 to taste this week though. That's a top vintage. Not had it for a few years.
GW
FYI- Jancis Liked quite a lot too
More complexity on the nose than the Rieussec. Marzipan. Richness. Citrus. Nerve. Really deep flavours with good acidity. Tense. Yes! Score: 19 Jancis Robinson MW, , February 2008
2001 regarded as a great vintage for Sauternes, as far as I am aware.
MichaelC
do u know anything abt the 07 vintage of yquem? i am also wondering whether the price of $350 AUD was the price your friend paid for the half bottle of wine, or the actual retailing price in bottle shops.
thanks!
a loyal reader of your blog,
Tim
07 right up there for Sauternes apparently.
If I was a wealthier man it would be the 09's that I'd be stocking up on, of which I only purchased a single case (of the superb Raymond Lafon).
yeah. tt's what i read in decanter too. but when i saw vintage charts they rated 07 well, but not compared to the 01, 03 or 05 vintage.
the local bottle shop is selling yquem 07 for $277 AUD, is that a gd deal?
Not sure. I've only seen en primeur prices which are obviously different.
If you can afford to though buy it anyway. You only live once….
great! thanks for ur advice n very very prompt replies 😉
Tim
Hi Andrew,
sorry to bother you again, do you mind telling me how much did you pay for the 09 d'yquem (en primeur price)?
Tim
Sadly I didn't purchase any 09 Yquem at en primeur (just some of their neighbours Sauternes from Raymond Lafon).
Noticed it for a massive $800 a bottle from VC though (which just sounds incorrect)..
for those who wants to know the 2003 yquem is probably one of the best ever because in france at the time we had a heat wave that lasted 2 months of really high temperature and drought which are the best condition available for sweet wine, never tried a yquem wine but being from bordeaux i know it is the 2003 that i want to try at least