Château d'Yquem 2022

A wine from the hottest and driest year Sauternes has ever experienced; rapid grape ripening, harvested from October 16 to October 24, picked very quickly, extremely concentrated grapes, similar to 1945. pH 3.9 (instead of 3.7) and 160 g of sugar, the second-highest sugar level ever. Medium golden-yellow; very delicate nose, dried apricots, candied lemons, almonds, orange blossom and a hint of cinnamon; creamy palate, lots of texture, powerful, opulent, yet remaining fresh, top structure, great length; a wonderfully floral wine built for a small eternity.

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. 5,833 cases made.

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. More 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.

Natural cork closure.Tasted blind. Complex nose and this really does smell like a box of candies in an American urban apartment. It has potential. Dried-pear flavours. (JR)

Combining incredible power, sweetness, and opulence with racy acidity and a touch of bitterness on the back end that offsets 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 bouquet is powerful and heady, dominated by notes of dried apricot from the Hunza Valley, mirabelle clafoutis, lemon tart and exuberant flowers. On the palate, the wine is fleshy and sensual, with a thrilling pulse of salinity that cuts through the sweetness. If salt and sugar are often considered highly addictive, they are nothing compared to this wine, which feels almost like a drug you become instantly dependent on.

An elegant, deep bouquet with subtle plurality, where each element plays a fundamental role. The oak also expresses itself with finesse, even with 100% new wood, as usual, and 22 months of ageing, bearing in mind that fermentations also take place in barrel. Nuances of nougat, gentian, white-fleshed fruit, bitter orange and a touch of grapefruit highlight both the complexity and the freshness. With aeration, Yquem 2022 keeps gaining in complexity. It reveals rooty notes (celery), aromas of roasted pineapple, mirabelle plums, then a touch of saffron. Highly concentrated, the wine is creamy, deep and fresh. It owes the latter to a salinity that is as invigorating as it is mouthwatering, as well as fine bitters that bolster the length and ageing potential. The result is a Yquem of extraordinary balance, perfectly handling the second-highest sugar content (160 g/L) in the estate’s history, after 1945.

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.

Logo on the cork: PK Pale yellow color. Brilliant. An intense, refined, fruity and subtle nose. Complex nuances of white fruits, exotic fruits, warm butter, flowers, apple and verbena. It remains very refined when the glass is swirled. Meticulous texture from the first sip, immediately unfolding over an airy body. A fine richness runs across the palate. The wine develops juicy, delicate and at the same time powerful in the final third, with a nuanced return of roasted notes. But most importantly, the wine shows a strong savory intensity. This bears witness to this estate’s skill in tempering the sensations brought on by climatic extremes, even though on paper it is the Yquem with the highest residual sugar (160 g/L) since 1945. Blend: 80% Sémillon, 20% Sauvignon Blanc. Alcohol: 13.5% - pH: 3.9.

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.