Chateau d´Yquem 2022

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."

THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER: "Combining incredible power, sweetness, and opulence with racy acidity and a touch of bitterness on the backend offsetting all the rich, honey-slathered fruits, it takes only a single sniff and sip to discern that this is one of the great vintages produced by Chateau d'Yquem. That says a lot, considering all the fabulous vintages the estate has crafted. The palate showcases its wealth of honeyed fruits alongside Indian spices and a vibrancy found in no other sweet wine. The wine envelops your palate, teeth, and gums leaving you with a zesty finish that lingers for a full 60 seconds and more! This is a legend in the making! Like all great vintages of Chateau d'Yquem, you can enjoy this with pleasure in its youth, with its sweet, ripe fruits showcasing a unique sense of honeyed purity, or you can save it for your grandchildren. Drink from 2027-2100."

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "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."

WINE SPECTATOR: "Starts slowly, with a creamy and seductive feel to its mix of warmed peach, fresh mango, glazed Anjou pear and mirabelle plum flavors. As this moves along, flashes of singed almond and coconut appear before the finish kicks into another gear, offering green fig, white tea and sweetened butter notes. The entire thing just sails through without a single bob of its hull in an impressive marriage of power and precision. Sémillon and Sauvignon Blanc. Best from 2028 through 2050. From France."

JANCIS ROBINSON: "Less obviously oaky than in previous vintages? Or perhaps that is simply the power of the fruit and botrytis, which has an intense marmalade, ginger, honey-glazed flavour. There's a bit of floral character too, and huge persistence. Less sweetly spiced that it sometimes is, but in this young phase there should be much more to come."