Semillon

Always a pleasure to drink d'Yquem.  This vintage is 75% Semillon and 25% Sauvignon Blanc.  From a 375ml bottle.

Sadly an off bottle.  This was pretty well oxidized.  Likely a faulty cork.  Other bottles in the case had shown much better.  

From a half bottle.  This is a blend of Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc.  It is a late harvest dessert wine.  Light gold in color, clear and bright.  The nose has honey along with a touch of peach.  Medium bodied.  Slightly viscous.  On the palate, this has some sweetness but that has probably faded since release.  Some honeyed notes.  Moderate finish.  These need to be drunk up at this point.  It works better with some food.  Cheese or less sweet pastries would work.

DOA.  Maybe not cellared well but the best of these is unlikely to be good at age 51.

Golden in color, some orange hues, clear and bright.  The nose is lovely with apricot, peach, slight honey  and a slight bitter note.  Viscous.  Full bodied.  Good acidity.  On the palate, slightly sweet, not cloying.  Honey and apricot.  Long finish.  A good year if not great.  Nice value.  Drink over the next five to ten years.  It works well with a shortbread (not too sweet) cookie.  

This is 100% Semillon from Bordeaux.  Light, silvery gold in color, clear and bright.  Great, powerful nose with papaya, slight tangerine, and chalk notes with nice minerality.  Medium to full bodied.  Oily texture.  Good acidity.  On the palate, the tangerine comes thru but also some limes, especially on the long finish.  Some depth.  This is nice on its own but will work well with foods, too.  It will work well with sea food and especially shell fish.  Drink over the next eight to ten years.  

Arguably the best winery in the world.  This was not their best vintage (IMO 2001), but it is amazing.  Light golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose is gorgeous with pineapple, mango, beeswax, floral tones and vanilla.  Medium to full bodied.  Viscous.  Great balance.  On the palate,  Pineapple, mango, slight lemon rind, a touch of salinity and peach.  Long, long finish in which the peach notes just keep expanding.  Slightly sweet but nowhere near cloying.  Delicious.  Great on its own, but went well with less sweet pastries.  Drink over the next fifty years.  

Always a pleasure to drink Yquem.  From a 375ml bottle.  This is young, of course, but delicious.  It is a blend of 55% Semillon and 45% Sauvignon Blanc.  Light golden in color with some orange hues, clear and bright.  The nose has apricots, honey and slight caramel notes.  Full bodied.  Viscous.  Excellent acidity.  On the palate, this is sweet, not cloying.  Apricots with honey.  Incredibly long finish.  This will get better with further cellaring, but is delicious now.  Drink over the next thirty years.  great on its own, this would also work with simple pound cake. 

Wines from this winery keep showing up from the early 70's.  I am not sure of the story, but it seems to stem from the sale of the winery and vineyards in 2014 from the Lurton family to Dennis Debourdieu. The vineyards were ripped up and new plantings incorporated into Chateau Doisy-Daene.  It is an old estate in fact, it was classified as a second growth in the 1855 classification of Bordeaux.

Wow, this is stunning.  What a great vintage.  Medium gold in color with slight darker hues, clear and bright.  The nose is big with apricots, honey, orange peel and  crème brulée.  Full bodied.  Viscous texture.  Excellent acidity.  Great energy and balance.  On the palate, this is deep and complex.  Layers of fruits, dried fruits and other tastes.  Apricots, honey, oranges and caramel.  Long finish.  This is fantastic on its own and will work great with a plain cookie or cake.  Drink over the next thirty years.