Château d'Yquem, 1er Grand Cru Classé, Sauternes, 2022

Name: Château d'Yquem, 1er Grand Cru Classé, Sauternes
Brand: Château d'Yquem
Price: 1500 GBP

Available Vintages

all 2013 2015 2020 2021 2022

justerini & brooks tasting note

Unctuous and decadent, with hints of bitter orange, saffron, lemon pith and bruised apple, leading to a mid-palate packed with pure quince, pineapple, orange blossom, honey, caramel, and marmalade. Spice notes are pronounced on the long voluptuous finish with cinnamon, star anise and sea salt adding bite and acidity to balance the sweetness. Already displaying huge aromatic complexity, this is one of the finest expressions we have tasted, a wine that can be savoured in its youth and has the potential to age for many many decades… 160g/L residual sugar (the highest figure since 1945), 3.9pH.

critic reviews

99/100Jane Anson,The Wine Independent

The first time I have tasted this vintage, as it was only released earlier this year, and it is a wonderful wine, generous, luscious, but absolutely balanced despite the heat of the vintage, with a twist of grated citrus, pineapple, white tea, bitter almond and candied orange peel. Layers of marmalade, white truffle, salted tarte tartin, a beautiful push and pull of opulence and acidity that is so essential in a vintage as concentrated as this. Will power through the years, no question. 160g/l residual sugar. Lorenzo Pasquini estate director.

DRINKING WINDOW 2025 - 2060

date of review 06/2025

98/100Neal Martin,Vinous

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.

DRINKING WINDOW 2030 - 2100

date of review 03/2025

98/100Yohan Castaing,Robert Parker Wine Advocate

A blend of 80% Semillon 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.

DRINKING WINDOW 2034 - 2074

date of review 01/2025