D'Yquem 375ml

Château d'Yquem has a very long life span: twenty, fifty, a hundred years, or more… As with all great wines, Yquem is transfigured over time, developing a host of deliciously subtle aromas and flavours. Its colour changes over the years from the brightness of dawn to the darkness of dusk, and from shimmering straw yellow to golden-brown with amber and caramel highlights, and then to mahogany.

In the 1855 Bordeaux Classification, Château d'Yquem is the only wine to hold a "Premier Cru Classé Supérieur" rating, placing it at the absolute pinnacle of sweet white wines. Best served cold at 8 degrees. As an aperitif, with fresh fruits, cheese, sushi, savoury white meat and chicken dishes.

2010

Wine Advocate 95: Exhibiting notions of saffron, pineapple, apricot, exotic fruits and spices, the 2010 d'Yquem is full-bodied, broad and enveloping, perfectly balanced with controlled power and a deep, fleshy core of fruit enhanced by bright acids. It has stunning aging potential despite a slight touch of volatile acidity. Residual sugar: 138 grams per liter.

James Suckling 97: The purity of Botrytis in this wine is so impressive with dried fruits such apple and mango. And then spicy character. Full body and very sweet but it is incredibly fresh and lively. Such class and elegance. Perfectly manicured wine. Everything in the right place. This shows a delicacy and intensity that are spellbinding.

2021

Wine Advocate 95: The 2021 d'Yquem exhibits a complex bouquet of rose, exotic fruits and mandarin orange mingled with spring flowers, rose and crème brûlée, followed by a medium to full-bodied, ample and seamless palate that's suave and layered, with a deep core and a long finish that's lent definition by delicate bitterness that offsets the 148 grams per liter residual sugar. This blend of 65% Sémillon and 35% Sauvignon Blanc was matured, as usual, in all new barrels, but the new oak is perfectly integrated and barely noticeable.

Vinous 96: The 2021 Yquem was tasted in Amsterdam, the first wine poured at a lunch, thereby allowing me a longer period to examine it. Slightly burnished in hue, it has a very attractive bouquet with scents of dried quince, clementine, linseed and subtle candle wax, perhaps more discrete than usual, but certainly fresh and vibrant. The palate is medium-bodied and viscous on the entry, a Yquem with perhaps a lighter chassis than recent vintages, prioritizing poise and purity over horsepower— exactly the right approach in such a challenging season. It opens wonderfully in the glass, gaining more frangipane and kaki fruit scents, though it seems to have a lighter and more tensile finish than the 2020 or 2019. As such, I suspect that it will be comparatively approachable and, of course, delicious. Readers should note that I will probably re-taste the 2021 in Bordeaux during primeur.

2022

Wine Advocate 98: A blend of 80% Sémillon and 20% Sauvignon Blanc, the 2022 d'Yquem is a strong candidate for the title of wine of the vintage. Exhibiting a remarkably delicate, complex and energetic bouquet of rose, confit citrus, exotic fruits and orange marmalade, it's full-bodied, dense and deep with a pristine balance enhanced by a fleshy core of fruit, bright acids and beautiful, gastronomic bitterness and dry extracts that segue to a long, ethereal, delicately perfumed and refined finish. Lorenzo Pasquini and his team have perfectly understood the vintage by privileging the third tries, fully exposed to Botrytis cinerea, in the blend, bringing density and precision along with an energetic and splendidly balanced interplay of bitterness and sweetness. Residual sugar levels reach 160 grams per liter, marking it as the second-highest since the iconic 1945 vintage.

James Suckling 100: A perfect Yquem again after the 2021, which is fresher and more refined than the 2022. The perception of sweetness is super-knit. Lots of botrytis, with turmeric, saffron, cream, roasted meringue, pine nuts, spices and dried mangoes. This is a powerful, seductive and lush wine. Ornamented and richer this year than 2021, but there is so much charm and harmony. Long and spicy, with a hint of petrol at the end. Wow. The second most concentrated Yquem after 1945, according to the winemaker. About 160 grams of residual sugar. So approachable now, but better in five or six years. It will live forever.

Vinous 98: The 2022 Yquem is a blend of 80% Sémillon and 20% Sauvignon Blanc with 160 g/L residual sugar and a total acidity of 5.39 g/L. It is the first certified organic vintage for the estate and has the lowest level of total sulphur ever: 234 g/L, high within the sphere of wine but comparatively low for Sauternes. The 2022 was aged for 24 months in new barrels that underwent slightly less drying than those used for red wines in order to retain some green tannins. Given the growing season, the 2022 Yquem has a surprisingly understated bouquet that demands coaxing. Scents of orange pith, passion fruit and quince are exquisitely defined, a hint of chamomile dancing around in the background. The palate is medium-bodied. Given the high level of residual sugar, what is surprising is that the 2022 does not seem a weighty or texturally unctuous Yquem, yet there is an intensity and concentration that is arresting. Vivid flavours of clementine, wild honey, quince and tangerine that effortlessly combine. The acidity almost nonchalantly counters the sensation of residual sugar, so it feels less than it actually is, the scintilla of salinity toward the finish tempting you back for more. This is a marvellous and quite cerebral Yquem for which patience is required.

2023

Wine Advocate 100: With 153 grams per liter of residual sugar—placing it among the 10 most concentrated vintages in the château’s history—the 2023 d'Yquem ranks among the finest wines bottled here under Lorenzo Pasquini’s direction. It unfurls from the glass with a complex, vibrant and remarkably pure bouquet of pineapple, guava, mango, confit citrus, beeswax and spices. Full-bodied, dense and concentrated, it combines formidable depth with perfectly judged control, built around a fleshy core of fruit, framed by lively acidity and a crystalline texture and culminating in an endless, refined and ethereal finish. Yquem’s natural power is here masterfully harnessed by the vintage’s freshness and tension, revealing an aesthetic of precision and vibrancy encountered only in the estate’s greatest years—made all the more remarkable by the fact that the château now achieves even higher levels of concentration than a decade ago, without any perceptible increase in sweetness on the palate.

James Suckling 100: Perfect aromas carry through to every milliliter of this wine, showing intense orange peel, honey, butterscotch, saffron, smoke and peat, with hints of coffee and dried apples. Full-bodied but weightless and silky, with an excellent balance of fruit, sweetness and spices. Some peanut brittle, dried oranges and lemons at the end. I can’t get over how wonderful this is now, but it can age forever. 154 g/L residual sugar. Drink or hold.

Vinous 99: The 2023 Yquem, a blend of 70% Sémillon and 30% Sauvignon Blanc, contains 154 grams per litre of residual sugar-less than the 2022. As usual, the 2023 was matured in 100% new oak, mainly French, with a small percentage from Austria. The nose is so seductive that it should come with a warning sticker. Pure and mellow, it offers beguiling scents of wild honey, quince jelly, almond shavings and that signature hint of saffron destined to accentuate with age. It displays wonderful definition, though it does not have the "aromatic drama" of the previous vintage. The palate has exquisite balance and poise that belies the depth of this Yquem, though it is less exuberant, less ostentatious than the 2022. It is really the umami sensation that defines the 2023, how it caresses, almost soothes the grateful taste buds, vanilla and flecks of white chocolate lingering on the aftertaste. This will probably drink a little sooner than the 2022. If the 2023 does have a fault, it's that it is so flattering in its flush of youth that it will be difficult to resist. Sublime.