2009 Chateau D'Yquem
Country: France
Vintage: 2009
Region: Bordeaux, Sauternes
Winemaker Notes
Silky and opulent on the palate, the 1998 d'Yquem layers flavours of apricot, honey, and candied orange peel with notes of saffron, vanilla, and crème brûlée. Aromas of dried fruit, beeswax, and exotic spice rise from the glass, while its deep golden colour reflects both maturity and concentration.
About Winery
Château d’Yquem, located in Sauternes in Bordeaux’s Graves region, has a history stretching back to the Middle Ages, when the site was first fortified in the 12th century. By the 16th and 17th centuries, the estate had developed into a wine-producing property, eventually gaining renown for its sweet wines made from Sémillon and Sauvignon Blanc affected by noble rot (Botrytis cinerea). Its reputation was cemented in 1855 when it was uniquely classified as Premier Cru Supérieur in the Bordeaux Wine Official Classification, the only Sauternes to receive this distinction. Over centuries, ownership passed through noble families and later to the LVMH group, but the estate has consistently produced wines celebrated for their extraordinary longevity, complexity, and prestige, making Château d’Yquem one of the most iconic names in the world of fine wine.
Winemaker Notes
Silky and opulent on the palate, the 1998 d'Yquem layers flavours of apricot, honey, and candied orange peel with notes of saffron, vanilla, and crème brûlée. Aromas of dried fruit, beeswax, and exotic spice rise from the glass, while its deep golden colour reflects both maturity and concentration.
About Winery
Château d’Yquem, located in Sauternes in Bordeaux’s Graves region, has a history stretching back to the Middle Ages, when the site was first fortified in the 12th century. By the 16th and 17th centuries, the estate had developed into a wine-producing property, eventually gaining renown for its sweet wines made from Sémillon and Sauvignon Blanc affected by noble rot (Botrytis cinerea). Its reputation was cemented in 1855 when it was uniquely classified as Premier Cru Supérieur in the Bordeaux Wine Official Classification, the only Sauternes to receive this distinction. Over centuries, ownership passed through noble families and later to the LVMH group, but the estate has consistently produced wines celebrated for their extraordinary longevity, complexity, and prestige, making Château d’Yquem one of the most iconic names in the world of fine wine.
100 Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Served from an ex-chateau bottle. The 2009 Chateau d’Yquem is one showstopper of a wine and perhaps it is only in a vertical that you realize this is up there among the legendary wines of the past – the 2001 included. It has a wonderful nose that expresses the Semillon component majestically: heady aromas of lemon curd, nectarine, jasmine and honeysuckle that all gain momentum in the glass. The oak is supremely well-integrated. The palate is extremely well-balanced with an unctuous entry. You are immediately knocked sideways by the palpable weight and volume in the mouth, which is almost “bulbous,” with layer upon layer of heavily botrytized fruit. It builds to a spicy finish with hints of marzipan and pralines in the background that lend it an untrammeled sense of exoticism. The 2009 is utterly fabulous and decadent, a star that will blaze brightly and undimmed for many years. Drink now-2060+. Tasted March 2014.
100 Wine Enthusiast
The aromas are so rich and powerful, with great ripe apricots. There are honey, spice and beautiful sweet spiced pears. This is an extraordinary wine in an extraordinary year in Sauternes.
Barrel Sample: 98-100 Points
98 James Suckling
The length to this is exceptional with an intensity yet subtlety. Full and medium sweet with bright and exciting acidity. It's all in balance here. Creme brulee, pineapple, and papaya. Lasts so long on finish. It's so fabulous now. It will age forever but it's already a joy to taste, even drink. Better in 2020.
98 Wine Spectator
Dense and unctuous, but with lacy detail already showing along the edges, as light toasty hazelnut and piecrust notes lead the way for creamed melon, mango and pineapple flavors, with hints of green plum and honeysuckle. There’s mouthwatering drive on the finish, which drips with a rosehip honey note that keeps pulling you back. Stunning. Best from 2020 through 2055.

