Château d'Yquem, Sauternes, Bordeaux, France, 2022 (375 ML)

Overview of the Wine
In 1993, Chateau d'Yquem celebrated 400 years of ownership by the same family. In 1593, the Sauvage family bought this estate which came into the Lur Saluces patrimony when Francoise Joséphine de Sauvage married Count Louis Amédée de Lur Saluces in 1785. Marquis Bertrand de Lur Saluces was one of the 20th century's most important personalities in the world of wine.

Count Alexandre de Lur Saluces has followed in his Uncle Betrand's footsteps since 1968. Highly motivated to perfect this prestigious product while respecting tradition, he is determined to offer maximum quality. All those who love this inimitable wine, from Jefferson to Pamela Harriman, former U.S. Ambassador, by way of great Duke Constantine, have approved this philosophy from vintage to vintage.

Yquem is the result of painstaking efforts by everyone who works on the estate. However, nature is the major factor in making the most of the rare soil of Yquem.

Grape / Blend
80% Sémillon and 20% Sauvignon Blanc

Origin
Bordeaux, France

Winemaker's Tasting Notes
The result of a sunny, extraordinary vintage, 2022 Château d’Yquem boasts a solid and powerful structure. The very first aromas immediately reveal intense botrytised notes – the hallmark of
high-quality noble rot. These notes are suggestive of candied lemon and pear, as well as orange marmalade. Delicate floral aromas of lime blossom and frangipane mingle with this fruitiness, enhanced by the sweetness of blooming lily of the valley. The almond and gourmand nose foreshadows wonderful richness on the palate. Starting out lively with candied fruit flavours, 2022 Château d’Yquem is resolutely reminiscent of apricot jam. Rich and concentrated, it coats the palate, revealing notes of beeswax, caramel and quince paste. Its powdery texture is prolonged by a touch of salinity and lovely bitter notes on the finish, which enhance the candied bitter orange characteristic of Yquem wines.

100 Points - James Suckling
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.

100 Points - Ian Blackburn 

Stunning purity of fruit in the nose, and plus concentration in the mouth, and a protracted finish that I can taste a month later in my dreams.... candied orange peal, caramel, fresh tropical fruits, layered with Meringue, spun roasted sugar and candied nuts... and there is so much more to contemplate in this wine! In its youth, it will be hard to resist but this will be a vintage that refines over the long term, offering investors so much complexity and punctuation!  We all see it as a diamond.... its a perfect wine to invest in and lay down for the rest of our adult lives... 

94 Points - Wine Independent
Composed of 60% Sauvignon Blanc and 40% Sémillon, the 2022 Y d'Yquem has 6 grams per liter of residual sugar. It skips out of the glass with cheery notions of fresh, crunchy pears, allspice, fennel seed, and lime leaves, leading to touches of lemon drops, chalk dust, and white pepper. The medium-bodied palate has a satiny texture and racy backbone with layers of pear and baking spices flavors, finishing on a lingering chalky note.

Product size: 375ml