2010 Château d'Yquem, Sauternes, Bordeaux
- White
- Luscious
- Full Bodied
- Sémillon (87%),Sauvignon Blanc (13%)
Ready - at best
- Neal Martin MW
- 94/100
- James Suckling
- 97/100
- Jancis Robinson MW
- 18.5/20
- James Molesworth
- 93-96/100
- Neal Martin MW
- 93/100
- Julia Harding MW
- 17/20
- Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW
- 98/100
Product: 20108004787
Description
Sauternes has bucked the trend this year by enjoying higher than normal yields, but the drought thickened the skins of the grapes and thus made it harder for the much sought-after noble rot (botrytis) to take hold. However, the long, dry autumn allowed the growers to wait and, when the time was right, they were able to harvest a good crop of beautifully sweet grapes but without huge levels of botrytis.
As such, Yquem displays a fabulous clean, pure sweetness, with aromas of citrus peel honey and apricot, and not a hint of any cloying character. The finish is very long and, while not as opulent as 2007 or as profoundly complex as 2001, the wine is very much more in the register of elegance, and thus bears comparison with the lovely 1988.
Colour White
Sweetness Luscious
Vintage 2010
Maturity Ready - at best
Grape List Sémillon (87%),Sauvignon Blanc (13%)
Body Full Bodied
Producer Château d'Yquem
Critics reviews
Neal Martin MW 94/100
The 2010 Yquem has an attractive bouquet with marmalade, caramelized pear, orange pith and light puff pastry notes. It just needs a little more delineation. The palate is very well balanced with a fine bead of acidity, lightly spiced and impressive focus. Like the aromatics, I would have just liked a little more precision on the finish. Tasted blind at Farr Vintners 10-Year On Bordeaux horizontal.Drink 2024 - 2060Neil Martin, Vinous.com.com (April 2020)
Drink 2024 - 2060
James Suckling 97/100
The purity of Botrytis in this wine is so impressive with dried fruits such as apple and mango. And then there is a spicy character. Full body and very sweet, but it is incredibly fresh and lively. Such class and elegance. Perfectly manicured wine. Everything is in the right place. This shows a delicacy and intensity that are spellbinding. Drink from 2018 onwards.james_suckling, jamessuckling_com (February 2013)
Drink 2024 - 2060
Jancis Robinson MW 18.5/20
‘2010 was a cool year for us.’ Winter and autumn cold, good dry, warm summer. Very healthy grapes, though quite a bit of rain on the flowering, A bit of coulure on Sauvignon so less than usual in the blend, just 13% compared to the usual 20%. Pale gold with slight greenness. Gorgeous, classic nose. Pear juice a go-go. Absolutely stunning freshness as well as all the botrytis. Classic. Real punchy perfect savoury Sauternes. Zesty and lovely with some chew on the end. No shortage of botrytis. Very distinctive and much less sweet than 2009. (155 g/l in 2009, 141 g/l in 2010). Refined finish. Finished 5 Nov. Five passes. Real punch and zest. Grapefruit peel. But not a massive sweet bomb. jancis_robinson_mw MW- jancis_robinson_mw.com Apr 2011
Drink 2024 - 2060
James Molesworth 93-96/100
The Château d’Yquem Sauternes 2010, a blend of 87 percent Sémillon and 13 percent Sauvignon Blanc, is tropical and inviting is tropical and inviting, with lush mango, fig and papaya aromas followed by pineapple and creamed banana. The long tangerine finish is flattering and very open now, but the length is clearly there. 2010 was a cool, dry year, especially in August and September, which is unusual for Sauternes, according to Yquem's technical director Francis Mayeur. “The early passes through the vineyard gave us fresh, clean fruit, and then with some rains in early October the botrytis kicked in and spread quickly.” Mayeur’s team made a total of six passes through the vineyard to select botrytized fruit, and he notes the harvest was the latest on record since 1988. james_molesworth – The Wine Spectator – Top Scoring Bordeaux 2010 – 31 Mar 2011
Drink 2024 - 2060
Neal Martin MW 93/100
Served from an ex-chateau bottle. Consistent notes compared to the sample tasted blind at Southwold, the 2010 Chateau dYquem does not quite live up to the billing it showed out of barrel. Certainly it does not possess the concentration of the 2011, the elegance or the symmetry. However, there is fine minerality on the nose and great transparency. The palate is fresh and harmonious, with a fine bead of citrus fruit and a penetrating, spicy finish that offers white peach and honeysuckle notes, yet does not possess anything close to the peacocks tail of the magnificent 2009. Still, this is a fine Yquem. Drink 2017-2040+. Tasted March 2014.Neil Martin - 26/06/2014
Drink 2024 - 2060
Julia Harding MW 17/20
Tasted blind. Broad and spicy, fat apricot flavours. Really deep flavours but could do with a little more freshness to balance. Long bitter-orange finish, extreme depth, but lacks zip. Drink 2020 - 2035julia_harding MW, JancisRobinson.com (April 2020)
Drink 2024 - 2060
Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW 98/100
Pale to medium lemon-gold colour, the 2010 d'Yquem has retreated into its shell at this youthful stage, offering spritely suggestions of lemon curd, lime cordial and green mango with wafts of honeysuckle, spice cake, sea spray and beeswax plus a hint of gingerbread. The palate really comes through with super intense, tightly wound citrus, savoury and mineral layers carried by a laser-precise backbone of freshness, finishing with crazy persistence that lingers a full three minutes and then some. This is going to be a very exotic, opulent Yquem!Drink 2025 - 2065Lisa Perrotti-Brown, Wine Advocate (March 2020)
Drink 2024 - 2060
About this wine
Sémillon
The main grape for Sauternes and particularly successfully grown in Australia's Hunter Valley. Hunter Valley Sémillon is one of Australia’s iconic and unique wines, totally unlike any wine produced elsewhere in the world from the same grape variety. In youth the wines are quite citrusy and fresh, but are generally perceived to gain hugely in complexity as they age and are deemed to be best drunk when at least 5 years old, frequently lasting for 10 or more years. Unusually for Australia, the alcohol levels rarely exceed 11.5%. In Bordeaux it is the most widely planted white grape and is blended with Sauvignon Blanc to produce the great long-lived dry whites of Graves as well as the great sweet wines of Sauternes. It is high in alcohol and extract and relatively low in aroma and acidity. Its thin skin makes it very susceptible to botrytis which is prerequisite for the making of Sauternes. It responds well to oak ageing and, while having a lightly lemony aroma when young develops lanolin flavours which some describe as "waxy", as well as a rich, creamy, intense, texture and a deep golden colour.
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Château d’Yquem
Château d’Yquem is the leading estate in the Sauternes appellation on the Left Bank of Bordeaux. It has long been reputed for making one of the world’s great sweet wines. In the 1855 classification of Bordeaux wines, Yquem was given the lofty title of Premier Cru Supérieur – the sole property at that level. It sits comfortably among the First Growths of the Médoc and their equivalents on the Right Bank regarding its quality and prestige among wine collectors.
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