CHATEAU D'YQUEM 1er Cru Classe Superieur - Sauternes 2001 Bottle

Description

The 2001 Château d’Yquem is an extraordinary, legendary vintage that exemplifies perfection in Sauternes. Its pale to medium lemon-gold hue hints at its age-defying quality. The nose is a captivating explosion of youthful lime cordial, pink grapefruit, lemon meringue, chamomile, saffron, casis, and marzipan, layered with beeswax and crushed rocks. On the palate, it offers remarkable depth with decadent citrus preserves, mineral nuances, and a profound freshness, finishing epically long and exquisite. Critics celebrate its brilliance: Lisa Perrotti-Brown awards it a perfect 100 points, emphasizing its jaw-dropping complexity and rarity. James Suckling and VINOUS also score it 100 points for its richness and vibrancy, while Decanter scores 98 points, praising its elegance, tautness, and poise. An age-worthy masterpiece that will evolve beautifully for decades.

*****

THE WINE ADVOCATE 100 points
Reviewed by: Lisa Perrotti-Brown
Drink Date: 2019 - 2100
I have had the very good fortune to taste the 2001 d'Yquem perhaps a dozen times since its release and have never been less than absolutely floored by its combination of poise, purity, precision and layer upon intricate, jaw-dropping layer of flavor nuances. It is among a very small clutch of incredible wines that crash through the 100-point ceiling and rocket beyond the stratosphere! A testament to that magic that can be created when an uncommonly great vintage for Sauternes brings out the best of an extraordinary vineyard and is skillfully, sensitively crafted, the 2001 is a true wine rarity that must be tried to be believed.

Pale to medium lemon-gold, the nose is simply WOW—an absolute show-stopper, delivering vibrant, youthful lime cordial, pink grapefruit and lemon meringue pie scents followed up by suggestions of chamomile tea, saffron, cassis and nutmeg plus wafts of marzipan, crushed rocks and beeswax. The palate is beyond-belief intense, offering a myriad of decadent citrus fruit preserves and earthy/mineral-inspired nuances, instilling incredible depth, all punctuated by profound freshness and finishing epically long and exquisitely delicious. The alcohol this vintage is 13.6%, while the residual sugar is a whopping 150 grams per liter, beautifully balanced by a total acidity of 4.5 grams per liter of H2SO4. Obviously, the longer readers are willing to cellar this, the more they will get of that ethereal tertiary complexity/experience. This said, for those who love great Sauternes in its youthful/primary flushes, even at this very early stage in its evolution, the multifaceted 2001 d'Yquem will not disappoint.

JAMES SUCKLING 100 points
This has taken on a golden amber color, with fantastic intensity and complexity of aromas. Mushroom, candle wax, white truffle, chamomile, honey, vanilla bean, marmalade, smoke, toast, apricot and pineapple. Powerful, rich and intense, yet sharp and almost savory, demanding attention. Goes on and on. Drink or hold.

VINOUS 100 points
Just weeks after tasting the 2001 Château d’Yquem at the estate, another bottle was served at a lunch in London and it was perfection. The aromatics are practically identical and likewise the palate, but this bottle, which had been decanted, displays a scintilla more tension, perhaps more "vibrancy" that so effortlessly counterbalances the richness. Irrespective of points, it is simply one of the most magnificent wines of any kind that can pass your lips.

DECANTER 98 points
Tasted by: Stephen Brook (at London, 01 May 2021)
Part of Sauternes: Five vintages to drink now
Drinking Window: 2021 - 2040
Bright medium gold. Voluptuous yet vibrant nose, with aromas of peach, mandarins, honey and crème brûlée. It’s markedly sweet, with 150g/L of residual sugar, but exquisite acidity keeps it taut and textured. Very elegant, no trace of heaviness, and the finish is lifted, poised and very long. Tasted from double magnum (as one does).