TN 01 vs 03 Yquem (over 7 days)

[Jamie Manley]

Day 1 01 - Right after both corks were pulled, the 01 asserted itself. Beautiful aromas wafted from the bottle. In glass the magic began. Toffee, pineapple, pear, beeswax, lemon curd, and honey are all delineated on the nose. The palate takes it to a whole new level. My goodness, what a wine! All of the above flavors with the addition of grapefruit and creme brulee. Overwhelming richness and tongue searing intensity, all with perfect lift from the laser like acidity. On bended knee!!

03 - This is no slouch, and IMHO it is already a great Yquem and will only improve. A little muted next to the 01, but the nose still delivers. Citrus fruits, lanolin, thick beeswax, lemon curd, and prevalent oak. The palate follows a similar flavor profile, with maybe just a bit too much oak. Still incredibly rich and absolutely Yquem. I expected the lower acidity to be exposed, but the finish acquits itself very nicely. Very impressive.

Day 2 - Both benefitted from the additional air, especially the 03. The oak really subsided on the 03. The 01 is just in a different league, speechless. And this is not a knock on the 03, it is a superb wine. But on day 2, the 01 has sealed its legend status. All the flavors on both wines were more pronounced and intense on both wines.

Days 6 & 7 - Skipped 3,4 and 5 to make sure that I had plenty for the last two days (both wines from 375.) Not surprisingly, there was not any profound change in either wine from day 2 to day 6 and 7. A little softer and maybe the addition of quince and apricot to further the complexity. The 03 still had crisp acidity and I did not find it cloying at all. The 01 just had me muttering with amazement.

Conclusion - What a great week! You will see a 3 point differential in my scores, and these are very significant points. The 01 is one of those special wines that seem to appear every 20 to 30 years. The 03 is a great Yquem and deserves the accolades that it receives. On all tasting days I used Jin-na as a test subject. She was served both wines blind and picked the 01 every time. My buying advice is this: if you can afford it, the 01 is worth every penny that you will spend. If your budget is tighter, the 03 will still give you the pleasure of Yquem in a brilliant (if hot) year.

2001 Yquem - 100 Pts

2003 Yquem - 97 Pts

[Jeff Leve]

I'd love to try this with a bottle of d'Yquem. But once a bottle gets popped, it never seems to last long enough. Great post.

[Christer Byklum]

I agree with Jeff, they just don't last when first opened. For me the 01 is just perfection. The 03 has amazing fruit, but the acidity is too low to carry it through for me, so I can't enjoy it as much as I'd love to. Had 01 Yquem together with a few other splendid 01's, just the other day. Suduiraut is also a magnificent wine this vintage. Extremely pure and elegant. La Tour Blanche was just behind, again a splendid Sauternes, Rieussec failing to shine in this company. (Served blind).

[Jamie Manley]

Jeff and Christer, both bottles were 375s. It took alot of willpower every night when I came home and looked in the refridgerator. They both easily could have gone another few weeks if I didn't run out of juice.

[Jeff Leve]

If I was not clear on the why I could never manage the same experiment... Chateau d'Yquem is good, the bottle is usually finished in an hour or so. I imagine with the high sugar content, the wine should last. But I am so weak

[Jamie Manley]

Jeff, you were very clear. I mentioned willpower in my first post. Every time that I looked in the refrigerator I had to force myself to shut the door and simply walk away LOL. In retrospect, both wines seemed to benefit most from day 1 to day 2. I was just curious, but moving forward I will always try to save a little Yquem (any vintage) for the second day. I am still trying to track down some 75 at a reasonable price (given vintage and producer). If not, then maybe the 89. Cheers Jeff!