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.

Drinking Window: 2025 - 2065

Reviewer Name: Lisa Perrotti-Brown

Review Date: 27th April 2018

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.

Mid gold. Very direct and glossy. Edge of veg and toast. Real tension! Tense pear juice with lots of grip and attack. Lots of acidity as well as all that sugar. Really energetic. Long. Amazing persistence. So neat. Real attack. Massive apparent acidity.

Stunning and utterly captivating, the 2015 d'Yquem is shaping up to be one of the truly epic wines of the vintage. All the elements are impeccably balanced, starting with the most captivating, alluring bouquet imaginable. The 2015 floats on the palate with grace and total finesse. What I like most about the 2015 is its airy, nuanced personality. Sweet floral notes, lemon confit, chamomile and acacia are some of the nuances that linger in this hauntingly beautiful d'Yquem. The 2015 was fermented in 100% new oak and residual sugar is 145 grams per liter, but none of that really matters. Readers who can find the 2015 should not hesitate, as it is truly magnificent!

The 2015 Yquem has always been a vintage that I have approached with caution. It was a very early harvest that began on 3 September and finished on 21 October after temperatures fell during the picking. As usual, I have reservations about the nose that, for me, lacks the cohesion and complexity of the 2014. Acacia honey, white flowers and quince, just a hint of toffee apple, beautiful but not quite as compelling as the previous vintage. The palate is well balanced, viscous and is bestowed impressive weight. It does not quite have the tension and nerve of 2014, but has wonderful purity. Superb, though not hors-classe. Tasted at the château.

Drinking Window: 2021 - 2045

Reviewer Name: Neal Martin

Review Date: 1st April 2022