2015 Chateau D'Yquem
Country: France
Vintage: 2015
Region: Bordeaux, Sauternes
Winemaker Notes
The 2015 Château d'Yquem is a "legendary" and "epic" vintage, characterized by an incredible balance of high residual sugar (approx.
) and vibrant acidity. The 75% Sémillon/25% Sauvignon Blanc blend offers intense aromas of pineapple, apricot, candied citrus, and honey, with a long, mineral-tinged finish.
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
The 2015 Château d'Yquem is a "legendary" and "epic" vintage, characterized by an incredible balance of high residual sugar (approx.
) and vibrant acidity. The 75% Sémillon/25% Sauvignon Blanc blend offers intense aromas of pineapple, apricot, candied citrus, and honey, with a long, mineral-tinged finish.
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 James Suckling
This is an incredible young Yquem that is so vinous like a great vintage of Montrachet but then on the palate it turns to Yquem with spice, dried fruit and mushroom as well as sweet fruit. Last for minutes. Acidity is all there giving it a dynamic vibrance that jolts your senses. Special wine. It has a little more than than 140 grams of residual sugar, less than the legendary of 2001. But is very close in greatness. Let’s wait and see.
Barrel Sample: 99-100 Points
100 Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Following a very long harvest stretching nearly two months, the 2015 Château 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.
98 Wine Enthusiast
This wine is ethereal. It certainly offers attractive honey and bitter orange flavors but also a fresh character that gives the wine lift and crispness. It is, of course, going to age magnificently, although it is so delicious and refreshing now.
Barrel Sample: 96-98 Points
98 Wine Spectator
Fresh-cut orange, peach and nectarine notes lead the way, followed by lightly singed almond and warm piecrust notes. Then another wave of green fig, warmed pear and coconut takes over on the finish. Rich and honeyed in feel, with obvious power, balanced by an energy in the inner core that should help this cruise in the cellar for some time. Best from 2020 through 2050.

