Michel Bettane and Thierry Desseauve: An exemplary balance of alcohol, acidity, and sugar, and great aromatic richness. A perfectly vinified wine fully worthy of the cru’s reputation, but not as superior to the rest of the region as it was in 2005 or 2006. 18.5/19

Michael Schuster: Deep gold; intense orange zest/citrus nose, complex and botrytis spicy; rich, vigorous, beautifully constituted; intensely sweet, very racy and complex wine—a long, sustained frisson of flavor with the year’s almost peppery botrytis spice character; powerful yet refined, and defined by the year’s lemon freshness; lovely, resonant length of both fruit and aroma. A splendid, powerful Yquem, if without the intense yet effortless classicism of the 2001. 19