Château d'Yquem, 1er Grand Cru Classé, Sauternes, 2021

Name: Château d'Yquem, 1er Grand Cru Classé, Sauternes
Brand: Château d'Yquem
Price: 530 GBP

Available Vintages

all 2013 2015 2020 2021 2022

justerini & brooks tasting note

Some 2021s with dramatically reduced yields are bombastic and super-concentrated. Yquem is very much at ease, with a natural refinement and purity. There’s a delicacy and reserve here; it requires a little coaxing to tempt out notes of flowers, pineapple, citrus zest, mandarin, salts and a touch of fresh hay. The palate continues in the same vein with lots of crisp, fresh fruit, hints of spices and a touch of saffron. Flavours build and develop in the glass, revealing new attributes and long, noble nuances: caramelised fruits, tarte tatin, a touch of blood orange and a wonderful salinity. Although elegant and light-footed, there's plenty of viscosity and depth, suggesting an Yquem with a distinguished future. 65% Sémillon and 35% Sauvignon Blanc. Total acidity 5.7g/L. Residual sugar148g/L. pH: 3.79.

critic reviews

97/100Lisa Perrotti-Brown,The Wine Independent

The 2021 d'Yquem is composed of 65% Sémillon and 35% Sauvignon Blanc. It has 148 grams per liter of residual sugar, making for a relatively rich style and the sweetest Yquem since 2017. Pale lemon-gold colored, perfumed notes of orange peel, juicy peaches, grapefruit, and honeycomb slowly emerge from the glass, followed by suggestions of jasmine tea, fresh ginger, and lime blossoms. The palate is fantastically satiny, with great tension and loads of spicy sparks complementing the citrusy flavors, finishing with epic length and a zesty lift. 54,000 bottles were made. The alcohol is 13.9%, and the pH is 3.79.

DRINKING WINDOW 2026 - 2056

date of review 03/2024

96/100Neal Martin,Vinous

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.

DRINKING WINDOW 2030 - 2060

date of review 02/2024

95/100Yohan Castaing,Robert Parker Wine Advocate

The 2021 d'Yquem exhibits a complex bouquet of rose, exotic fruits and mandarin orange mingled with spring flowers, rose and creme brulee, 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% Semillon and 35% Sauvignon Blanc was matured, as usual, in all new barrels, but the new oak is perfectly integrated and barely noticeable.

DRINKING WINDOW 2030 - 2050

date of review 02/2024