2021 Chateau d'Yquem 2021 375mL

Regular price: $490.00 /BTL
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Sale price: $490.00
Regular price: $500.00

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How do you introduce what is undoubtedly one of the most fabled and legendary wines in the world? Do you recount its near-mythical reputation for longevity—where some bottles have tasted fresh even a century later?

Perhaps you highlight the fact that only one Sauternes is worthy of First Growth status, and it bears the name Yquem. Or maybe you delve into the estate’s rich history, stretching back to the 15th century, intertwined with kings and queens, movers and shakers, scallywags, industrialists, and even feared leaders—all of whom have kept their cellars stocked with this extraordinary wine.

You could, of course.
Or you might mention d’Yquem’s standing as an investment—its stature and value growing over the years with the reliability of a blue-chip stock. But even that doesn’t fully capture the essence of this exotic nectar or its place in the annals of wine folklore.

That’s because Château d’Yquem is more than a wine for the elite. It isn’t reserved solely for those with vast cellars, vineyard pilgrimages, or in-depth wine knowledge. In our experience, it’s the ultimate democratiser among the world’s iconic wines. Unlike Lafite, Romanée-Conti, or even Grange, which are still climbing toward universal recognition, Château d’Yquem stands apart.

It’s on the bucket list of many—wine connoisseurs and novices alike. Its appeal is universal, like a luxury brand such as Dior or Louis Vuitton: a wine to taste, to savour, to remember. It’s not just a drink, but an experience - a brush with indulgence, decadence, and vitality in the form of the most extraordinary Sauternes known to humankind.

2021 will go down as the vintage that nearly wasn't. Hail, pestilence, disease all stripped the life out vineyards, reducing yields to mere fractions of what they normally would be. Yquem was no different, with the number of bottles released in the mere tens of thousands. This will undoubtedly bookmark the vintage as one for the collector's, a rarity perhaps, brought to life by the complex array of tropical fruit notes, cumquat and mango, tonka and vanilla nougat. One of the richer vintages seen in a decade, with a residual sugar level akin to the great 2001. The reviews, as always, speak for themselves.

Technical Attributes

Critic Reviews

100 POINTS

James Suckling

Dreamy, subtle aromas of dried fruit such as apricots and mangoes, but also fresh lemons and pears. Then there are caramel and tart tatin undertones with some bananas, pineapple, tangerines and other tropical fruit. Full-bodied, yet it remains vivid and compact, giving it a lightness even though it is really structured. The tannins are throughout the palate but blend in perfectly, giving it a solid presence, like a a diamond. It’s tight at the end, but you know that it will linger for ages, with a lightly chewy and intellectual finish. Touches of sweetness, cloves and bitterness to make it interesting. Dynamic.

99 POINTS

The Drinks Business Magazine

(Sauternes; 65% Sémillon; 35% Sauvignon Blanc; a final yield of 8 hl/ha, comparing favourably with the appellation average of just 3 hl/ha; 148 g/l of residual sugar; pH 3.79; 13.9% alcohol; 100% new oak though you have nothing directly to indicate that). Tutankhamun gold, maybe a hint of buttercup. I find this more direct and intense than the 2020. Yet this is also a wine that exudes balance and harmony, even at this nascent stage. Beautifully limpid and with a disguised natural power. Supremely aerial. Green apple skin. Saffron. Fresh ginger. A hint of confit ginger too. Lime. White grapefruit. A touch of fleur de sel. Marzipan. White almonds. Mango. Guava. Passionfruit. Pineapple – entirely pure and crisply fresh. All in great purity. This is floral, too. Mimosa. Buttercup (almost the leitmotif here). On the palate I find this tight and tense, yet so incredibly softly textured. And, above all, intense and captivating. Sparklingly striking and dynamic – and held together by the salinity as much as by the acidity, the two in fact working together, giving this an incredible aging potential. Delicate in its intensity. Sapid and with lovely waves of saline-inflected juicy fluidity. Even now this is a wine of very considerable complexity – built from assembling the finest botrytised grapes from the best of the couronne (the crown) of Bommes (with the Château of Yquem at the epicentre). This finishes with the most glorious bitter sugar note – burnt caramel just perfectly on the edge of bitterness. So accessible but so totally ageless and, for now, almost cool in its freshness.

98 POINTS

Jeff Leve - The Wine Cellar Insider

The complex aromatic profile explodes from the glass with pineapple, papaya, apricot, Meyer lemon, tangerine peels, caramel, honey, vanilla, saffron, cashews, and candied grapefruit in the aromatic profile. The palate resides perfectly in the middle of hedonism, and vibrancy. Clearly, there is ample sweetness, but the racy acidity provides incredible lift, energy, and length. The fruit expresses purity in its tangerines, oranges, mango, papaya, banana, and pineapples all slathered in honey. This is one of those Yquem's that can be enjoyed either as a sweet wine, or due to its vibrancy, with a diverse array of savory, and spicy dishes. Produced from a blend of 65% Semillon and 35% Sauvignon Blanc, 148 Grams per liter, 14% ABV, 3.79 pH. Yields were only 8 hectoliters per hectare. The harvest took place over an extended time, September 12 - October 27, with 4 passes in total. As you can see, the harvest was quite long, but picking the heart of vintage took place mid-to late October. Drink from 2027-2075.

98 POINTS

Jane Anson - New Bordeaux

A great example of this always-arresting dry white, with a ton of soft apple blossom aromatics, before drawing inwards to show scraping acidity, powerful white peach, quince, apricot and citrus flavours with a twist of lime juice, fennel and a salty tang of oyster shell and salted crackers. Has the richness, complexity and concentration that you find in Yquem, and although it won't have quite the same longevity, there is no issue with keeping this wine for 15 to 20 years. 7g/l of residual sugar, mainly from the Sémillon that is picked with the first bloom of botrytis, bringing an opulent, voluptuous feel that transmits the DNA of the property. Spends 12 months in 80% one year old barrels previously used for Château d'Yquem (of course fully washed and prepared, but still imparting a blush of rich flavour), together with 20% new oak. The 2021 vintage in Bordeaux was a better year for whites than reds, and this exceptional white wine is a great example. Last vintage with Sandrine Garbay as winemaker, leaving in 2022

97 POINTS

Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW - The Wine Independant

The 2021 d'Yquem is composed of 65% Sémillon and 35% Sauvignon Blanc. It has 148 grams per liter of residual sugar, making for a relatively rich style and the sweetest Yquem since 2017. Pale lemon-gold colored, perfumed notes of orange peel, juicy peaches, grapefruit, and honeycomb slowly emerge from the glass, followed by suggestions of jasmine tea, fresh ginger, and lime blossoms. The palate is fantastically satiny, with great tension and loads of spicy sparks complementing the citrusy flavors, finishing with epic length and a zesty lift.

96 POINTS

Neal Martin - Vinous

Slightly burnished in hue, it has a very attractive bouquet with scents of dried quince, clementine, linseed and subtle candle wax, perhaps more discrete than usual, but certainly fresh and vibrant. The palate is medium-bodied and viscous on the entry, a Yquem with perhaps a lighter chassis than recent vintages, prioritizing poise and purity over horsepower— exactly the right approach in such a challenging season. It opens wonderfully in the glass, gaining more frangipane and kaki fruit scents, though it seems to have a lighter and more tensile finish than the 2020 or 2019. As such, I suspect that it will be comparatively approachable and, of course, delicious.

95 POINTS

Wine Advocate

The 2021 d'Yquem exhibits a complex bouquet of rose, exotic fruits and mandarin orange mingled with spring flowers, rose and crème brûlée, followed by a medium to full-bodied, ample and seamless palate that's suave and layered, with a deep core and a long finish that's lent definition by delicate bitterness that offsets the 148 grams per liter residual sugar. This blend of 65% Sémillon and 35% Sauvignon Blanc was matured, as usual, in all new barrels, but the new oak is perfectly integrated and barely noticeable.

94 POINTS

Wine Spectator

Unctuous and flattering, with a mix of toasted coconut and macadamia nut notes infusing the mango, peach and papaya flavors at the core. The broad, soft, honeyed finish fills in with piecrust and lemon curd notes. A bit throwback in style, with more oomph than freshness. Sémillon and Sauvignon Blanc. Drink now through 2040

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2021 Chateau d'Yquem 2021 375mL

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