2022 Ygrec de Chateau d'Yquem Magnum

Y d’Yquem 2022 (Bordeaux blanc; 60% Sauvignon Blanc; 40% Sémillon; pH 3.28; residual sugar of 6.5 g/l; aged for 12 months in French oak barrels, one third of them new, the rest previously used for Yquem; 14% alcohol). A wine of staggering elegance and freshness given the meteorological conditions out of which it was forged. The earliest vintage ever recorded here, with the picking dates chosen to retain all the structuring freshness of the Sauvignon Blanc. This is profoundly complex, even in its infancy. Blanched almonds; white pear; elderflower and elderberry; hawthorn; green leaf tea; mimosa; lime, confit lime and lemongrass; a little apricot and peach skin; white wine gums (remember them?) – with that gentle hint of sugar; toasted brioche with melted beurre salé. I love the subtle hint of the residual sugar here which just reinforces the depth and richness and gives the citrus notes more to play with in extracting tension. There’s a subtle and very gentle bitter note here, too (coming I think from the early botrytis, castamé) – caramelised mandarin peel, blood orange and Seville marmalade perhaps. This is an Y with significant aging potential, of course, but it is also already highly accessible, its complexity already almost fully formed. That said, I love the additional leafiness that comes through with aeration – gooseberry leaf, orange blossom and white currant above all – suggesting the value of the decanter. Great precision and a technical triumph over climatic adversity that should give us great confidence for the future.
95/100 Colin Hay; The Drinks Business

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.
94/100+ Lisa Perrotti-Brown; The Wine Independent