Chateau d'Yquem 2011

The 2011 has a clear silvery gold hue.  The bouquet is very fragrant and well-defined, with scents of wild honey, honeysuckle and a touch of vanilla. It is a refined, sedate and beautifully focused bouquet that does not need to show off. The palate displays superb weight in the mouth, even though at first it seems almost understated. Yet there is clearly a high level of spicy, botrytized fruit with notes of honey, orange zest and a touch of mandarin. There is no explosion on the finish; the 2011 is rather a lesson in control, complexity and nuance. It is utterly seductive.   (96-98) ROBERT PARKER

80% Semillon and 20% sauvignon blanc; 3.8 pH; 144 g/l residual sugar; 13.8% alcohol):  Bright yellow-gold.  Captivating nose is marked by sexy lemony botrytis, white peach, mango, guava and saffron.  Enters the mouth very dense but remarkably vibrant and pristine thanks to lively acidity, then turns richer and more unctuous in the mid-palate, displaying knockout flavors of fresh tropical fruit, white peach, white flowers, beeswax and wet stone.  The finish is pure and extremely long.  This amazing young Yquem, one of the finest in the last dozen years, perfectly combines elements of the fresher, more refined Yquems of the recent Dubourdieu years with the more exotic, opulent personality of the wines made under Alexandre de Lur Saluces.  The harvest began on September 6) with the young sauvignon blanc vines and even some semillon to preserve freshness. General Manager Pierre Lurton told me that picking practically all the botrytized grapes very quickly in September was the key to guaranteeing a pure, fresh botrytis component.  Sandrine Garbay, who has been maitre de chai at d'Yquem for 18 years believes this to be one of the top Yquems in recent memory, though it really doesn't remind her of any previous Yquem vintage with possible exception of the 2001. (97-100) Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar, Aug 12