2003 d'Yquem
By Chateau d'Yquem
The 2003 d'Yquem from Château d'Yquem, Sauternes, Bordeaux
Weaving a narrative of climatic extremity into each sip, the 2003 d'Yquem from Château d'Yquem stands as a testimony to the resilience and finesse that a Sauternes can offer amidst challenging conditions. That year’s scorching summer presented both menace and muse to Bordeaux's wine country, carving a vintage of distinctive character.
An Epochal Vintage
The 2003 vintage captured the essence of an unusually hot and dry European summer, elevating the concentration of sugars and imparting a rich caramelized fruit profile to this legendary sweet wine. The grapes, stressed under sun-drenched skies, produced must that sang with intensity and inherent complexity. As with many such vintages facing extreme weather, meticulous selection was paramount at Château d'Yquem.
A Symphony of Flavours
The resultant elixir offers an opulent bouquet, abundant with luscious apricot, honeyed figs, and toasted almond nuances. Bottling the ardour of its vintage year, the 2003 d'Yquem unfurls on the palate with a sumptuous balance of sweetness and acidity; an impeccable dance between vigor and vitality. It is a symphony where every note—from the whispers of crème brûlée to the echoes of exotic spices—is orchestrated with precision.
Investors often seek certainty in an uncertain world; the 2003 d'Yquem from Château d'Yquem represents such assuredness. An exceptional wine investment choice, its spectacular singularity ensures it holds pride of place in cellars devoted to both pleasure and profit.
Indulging in this liquid gold engages connoisseurs in a sensory journey back to a summer that set vineyards ablaze with potential—the very summer encapsulated in every golden drop of the 2003 d'Yquem. For enthusiasts across the globe looking to enrich their collection with a piece of vinous history, the 2003 vintage offers an unparalleled opportunity.
Conclusion: A Wine of Timeless Prestige
True to form but unique in expression, the 2003 d'Yquem presents investment-centric aficionados with an irresistible narrative wrapped in an exquisite amber parcel. One savours not just wine but time itself—a compelling proposition for those discerning investors who wish for their portfolios to encompass vintages that eloquently speak of their astonishing years.
Market price (HKD)
HK$28,103.17
12x75cl
Highest score
98
POP score
163.33
Scores and tasting notes
A massive Yquem, this has a dense palate that is almost chewy like a red. Full and very sweet, with notes of dried apricot, pineapple, and papaya on the palate. Long, with a vanilla-coconut tart finish. What a wine, voluptuous, sexy, and luscious. 147 grams of RS. Pull the cork after 2015.
James Suckling - jamessuckling.com, May 29th 2012
The average June temperature for 2003 was the warmest ever recorded at Yquem since they installed their first weather station in 1896. And things were only just starting to heat up. This notoriously hot vintage nonetheless produced some very pleasant Bordeaux surprises, Yquem being one. As readers can guess, obtaining the necessary sugar levels was not the problem this year. If it was a question of sugar alone, berries could well have been harvested in August. But come September, the wait was on for the botrytis. Fortunately, a little rain beginning on the 5th of September kick-started proceedings, and with the help of continued warm temperatures, the noble rot took off like a rocket! After this, frenetic harvesting and strict selection ensued. Harvest was over in a record nine days, resulting in a super rich, concentrated and full botrytized expression that beautifully does justice to both the vintage and to Yquem. Medium lemon-gold colored, the 2003 d'Yquem seems to be emerging from a slumber, awakening with gloriously expressive notes of ginger ale, pineapple upside-down cake, toasted hazelnuts, star anise, cinnamon stick and preserved mandarin peel plus hints of lemon butter, crushed rocks, musk perfume and chalk dust. Full-bodied, super concentrated and decadently unctuous, the palate exudes waves of preserved tropical fruits and citrus sparks charged with energetic freshness, finishing epically long and wonderfully spicy. Alcohol is 13.5% this year, while the residual sugar comes in at a whopping 147 grams per liter, nicely balanced by a total acidity of 4.2 grams per liter H2SO4.
Lisa Perrotti-Brown - The Wine Advocate, 30 August 2019
No tasting note available.
Robert Parker Jr - Wine Advocate #164 April 2006
Ex-chateau bottle tasted at the property. The 2003 Yquem was picked from 17th September after an explosion of botrytis until 26th September in one trie. It has a textbook, limpid silvery/golden hue. The nose is very seductive with lifted scents of dried honey, almond, hazelnut and just a faint hint of creme caramel all with fine delineation. The palate is medium-bodied with a refined opening. That trait of creme caramel is there loitering like a truant schoolboy in the background, but then it moves into the mid-palate and really shows its class: wonderful delineation and poise, perfect acidity and an almost pixilated finish. There is just a touch of alcohol on the aftertaste although you have to have a very sensitive palate to feel it. This is a lovely Yquem, though I would not place it within the first tier. Drink now-2030+ Tasted April 2013.
Neal Martin - eRobertParker.com Jun 2013