A lovely, creamy, tropical style, with mango, papaya and guava notes lending a caressing feel, while singed almond and warm piecrust accents blossom through the lush finish. Just when you think that's all there is, toasted coconut, fig, orange blossom and persimmon details kick in, lending length and dimension. The finish is ridiculously long. Best from 2020 through 2060.

– James Molesworth (WineSpectator.com, March 2014)

At BI we’re pretty fond of Yquem and have indulged in quite an array on vintages in our time but it’s hard to imagine one better than this. It has you before you’ve even taken a sip; the aromatics and complexity are mind-blowing. There’s just so much going on here, with white peach, tangerine, rosewater, lilies and honeyed pears – and every time you go back to the glass, there’s something else. With a fabulous palate intense with tangerines and candied fruits underpinned by exquisite acidity, razor-sharp precision and epic length, this is - arguably – as good as the 2001. Quite simply, perfection.

Crazy minerality to this, with lots of dried mango, pineapple and papaya on the nose. Botrytis-spice and nutmeg undertones. Full body, very sweet, with superb depth of fruit and richness. It goes on for minutes. Turns dense and concentrated on the palate. Speechless. Better in 2019.

– jamessuckling.com, October 2014

Luminous golden yellow. Cool, pure aromas of white peach, honeyed mango, guava nectar, white flowers and saffron are complicated by elements of crushed stone and spicy lemony botrytis. Suave and intensely flavored, with mineral-spiced apple, mango, passion fruit and grapefruit flavors offering outstanding purity, precision, and depth. The brisk but harmonious acidity gives this great Sauternes a penetrating quality and provides a powerful spine to the very deep flavors, making it seem less opulent than it really is. This Yquem has the depth of the 2007 but boasts even greater purity and focus. Finishes bright and extremely long, with repeating suggestions of white flowers and lemony botrytis. Though it lacks the depth of the 2001 or the opulence of the 2009 at a similar stage of development, this is one of my favorite young Yquems ever: it will age spectacularly well. Ian D'Agata

The 2011 d'Yquem seems to be a close cousin of the 2001 and possibly the 1988. Light gold in color, restrained but pure and noble, it offers an intense bouquet of honeysuckle, caramelized apricot and white peach with a subtle hint of toasty oak. It builds slowly but beautifully to a full-bodied wine with a long finish. This vintage is about restraint and perfect balance despite the 144 grams of residual sugar. Some vintages are more exuberant or flamboyant, but 2011 is racy and compelling. Of course, these wines can be drunk young, but expect the 2011 to age for 50-75+ years in a good cellar.

Robert Parker (Wine Advocate #209, Oct 2013)

Pale gold; typically fine, fragrant, honeyed nose, intense, citrusy, vital; beautifully balanced, concentrated Sauternes, with a lively balancing acidity; a lovely combination of intense sweetness and overall restraint; supremely elegant and beautifully ‘slender’; Yquem’s uniquely silken liqueur-like texture, with a delicately fine botrytis complexity, gentle raciness of flavour, and great persistence. A fine-boned, poised, polished, graceful expression of Yquem, typical of the style of the year, very different from the absolute richness, succulence and frisson of the great 2009, or the more sinewy excitement of the 2001 for example. Lovely wine, though. [M.Schuster, Bordeaux Mar/Apr 2012]

Tasted blind at the Sauternes 2011 horizontal tasting. The Château Yquem 2011 has a complex bouquet, one that is very well defined with hints of petrol infusing the rich honeyed fruit, later melted wax and fresh peach coming through. The palate is well balanced with a strong viscous entry. There is plenty of residual sugar here and I would have preferred a little more acidic bite to offset that rich, decadent finish (this is despite their correct policy of blending non-botrytized berries in order to increase acidity.) Powerful, burly even, I would give this several years in the cellar to allow this Yquem to mellow and enter its stride.

– eRobertParker.com, Feb 2015

Tasted from a very precocious sample of this wine in bottle. It may well have been a bit shocked by the bottling process as it seemed a little lighter than some Yquems but there were fascinating notes of citrus and summer flowers as well as the usual ripe pears. (Note that no Yquem was made in 1964.)

– jancisrobinson.com, Apr 2014