Yquem 2005

Floral, lemon, apple and cream with dried pineapple and apricot. Full-bodied, but very focused and refined. It starts slowly and then, wham! It goes on and on. Spicy, dried fruits and spices. Full-bodied, medium-sweet. So long and exciting. Incredible. It is very close to 2001. We will see.

Yield of 12 hl/ha – almost record high levels! Quite deep gold. Wonderfully deep nose – never smelt anything as intense and glorious as this! Extraordinary!!! Deep yet lively. Exciting depth of pear juice and zest – tangerine peel too. Great astringency. 2001 was more concentrated. This is more transparent. Lovely dancing stuff, but already in the super-nuanced Yquem idiom. Lighter than some vintages but with great lacy complexity. Wonderful green, lively notes and some real explosiveness – 13.5 per cent. Energy drink! Coiled like a taut spring. Drink 2015-50

A similar yield to the 2001 with 135 grams per litre of sugar (the '01 was 150, the '67 was 110). A wonderfully complex nose with caramel, creme brulée, vanilla, barley sugar, lemon meringue and floral notes. Beautifully balanced on the palate, there is great oily richness and viscosity but a freshness of a fine acidity cuts through the impressive weight. Complex, intense but not too heavy. A great and finely balanced Yquem. ONE OF THE WINES OF THE VINTAGE.

Once again, first among firsts. The bouquet highlights the great concentration and sheer beauty and purity of the fruit. The wine has enormous length and opulence with exceptional succulence. Tropical, (especially pineapple) fruit aromas and flavours. All this enlivened with a lovely freshness - simply 'hors classe'. 5 Stars