Yquem - Sauternes 2022

Yvesbeck.wine

99

byYves Beckthe3/19/2025

Bouquet élégant, profond, d’une subtile pluralité où chaque élément joue un rôle fondamental. Le boisé se manifeste également dans une logique de finesse, même avec 100 % de bois neuf, comme à l’accoutumée, et un élevage de 22 mois, en tenant compte du fait que les fermentations se déroulent en barriques également.

Les nuances de nougat, de gentiane, de fruits à chair blanche, d’oranges amères ainsi qu’une touche de pamplemousse soulignent la complexité ainsi que la fraîcheur présentes. À l’aération, Yquem 2022 ne cesse de gagner en complexité. Ainsi, il affiche des notes racinaires (céleri), des effluves d’ananas rôti, de mirabelles, puis une touche de safran.

De grande concentration, le vin est crémeux, profond et frais. Il doit ce dernier point à une salinité autant vivifiante que salivante ainsi qu’à de fins amers consolidant la persistance et l’aptitude de garde. Il en résulte un Yquem d’un extraordinaire équilibre gérant parfaitement la 2? plus haute teneur en sucre (160 gr/l), après le 1945, de l’histoire de la propriété. 2027-2092

The Drink Business

100

byColin Haythe3/18/2025

(Sauternes; 80% Sémillon; 20% Sauvignon Blanc; the final yield is around the historic average of 10 hl/ha; 160 g/l of residual sugar, the second highest ever recorded after the legendary 1945 vintage; pH 3.90, on a par with the 2019; 13.5% alcohol; 100% new oak though you have nothing directly to indicate that). The highest proportion of Sémillon since 2018. A wine of incredible aromatic purity, that reminds me most of the 2009. Apricot. Toasted brioche. Even a little eucalyptus and medicinal herbal elements, but very subtly. An aromatic brilliance. Saffron, honey. Angelica. Frangipane. Nutty. Butterscotch. Beurre noisette. Roasted pineapple, that lovely slight hint of crème brulée burnt sugar bitterness and a hint of the orange Seville marmalade notes to come. Almost a little hint of candied rose petals. Rose Turkish delight. A trace of grapefruit zest which is incredible in a wine so intensely sweet and solaire. So fresh despite the incredible density. What I love is the way the acidity grips and takes in charge the wine from the mid-palate to the very long distant finish. Very saline on the finish – more and more so, with almost a hint of liquorice! The freshness sensation is sensational! The freshness here is integral to the power and puissance of the wine, unlike any other wine of the appellation. As if the salinity is more and more concentrated as the scope of the spherical core slowly reduces in amplitude towards the finish. I love too the return to the notes of roasted pineapple, lime zest and grapefruit on the finish. So salivating in its sapid freshness on the finish.

Alexandre Ma

99

byAlexandre Mathe3/10/2025

The 2022 vintage of Château d’Yquem stuns with its golden hue as rich and radiant as honey. The first sip is like a pearl bursting on the tongue, flooding the palate with vibrant energy that is both fiery and playfully alluring. This wine boasts an exceptional residual sugar level of 160g/L, the second highest since 1945, yet its taste is strikingly transparent, making it hard to believe it carries an acidity of just 3.52g/L. The fruit aromas are equally captivating, with the lush scents of candied kumquat, papaya, and mango enticing admiration. The noble rot contributes a pristine purity, harmonized with the spicy nuances of curry and clove, while freshly bottled toasted notes enhance its inviting charm. This wine seamlessly unites opulence, sophistication, vibrancy, and freshness, conjuring an image of crystal prisms refracting sunlight beneath rippling water. The 2022 vintage’s standout feature lies in its nuanced use of bitterness. Amidst its low acidity, the delicate bitterness of almond and matcha provides a refreshing counterbalance to the high sugar levels, lending the wine a unique clarity and leaving a lingering finish that invites endless reverie.

Wine Spectator

97

byJames Molesworththe3/5/2025

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.

The Wine Cellar Insider

100

byJeff Levethe3/4/2025

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.

Vinous

98

byNeal Martinthe3/3/2025

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.

Jamessuckling.com

100

byJames Sucklingthe2/3/2025

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. So approachable now, but better in five or six years. It will live forever.

Wine Advocate

98

byYohan Castaingthe1/16/2025

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.