d'Yquem 2009

Tasting a legend under blind conditions is always the ultimate test of pedigree with everything to lose. And yet for the second year running, the brilliance of Chateau d’Yquem stood out. The 2009 has a glorious bouquet with luscious honey, lemon curd, white peach and quince that is crystalline and utterly refined. It demonstrates wonderful delineation and pinpoint focus. The palate is brilliantly balanced with life-affirming acidity. There are notes of quince and white peach once again, marrying with hints of light honey and crushed stone, finishing with convincing confidence on the composed, refined finish. This is not quite as ethereal as the 2001 – but it comes damn close. Drink 2014-2050.

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.

The 2009 Yquem has an almost ethereal nose, beautifully defined with scents of honey, honeysuckle, pear, fresh apricot and a hint of quince. It blossoms in the glass, gaining intensity and expanding across the ether. The immediate impression is not of a powerful, rich, botrytis-laden Yquem, but one that has semblances with the 2007 in terms of poise and precision, the acidity defining the wine in its youth and around that, subtle notes of honey, fig, pear, apricot and just a hint of ginger adding vibrancy and edginess towards the pure and tensile finish. As expected, there is extraordinary persistency, lingering in the mouth long after the wine has disappeared, yet it will remain long in the memory.