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Château d'YquemBordeaux

€545.80
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Vintage
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TECH SHEET

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Vintage
Country
FranceFrance
Region
Bordeaux
Type
Sauternes / 1er cru Supérieur
Producer
Château d'Yquem
Winemaker
Pierre Lurton
Grapes
SémillonSauvignon Blanc
Alcohol
13.5% vol.
Bottle
750 ml

Wine profile

Dessert

Acidity
Body
Sweetness
Alcohol13.5% vol
Intensity

Tap or hover a scale

Wine profile · Dessert

Acidity

Level 4 of 5 — Lively and mouth-watering – like grapefruit

What it is

Acidity is the wine's freshness: it gives energy, makes your mouth water and helps the wine age. Too little and it tastes flat; too much and it feels sharp.

Where you feel it

On the sides of your tongue, and in how much your mouth waters after you swallow. The more you salivate, the higher the acidity.

How we set this level

For this wine, the level comes from: Vinogrande's tasting notes and wine description.

Labs measure total acidity (grams of tartaric acid per litre; most wines sit between 4.5 and 8 g/L) and pH (usually 3.0 to 3.8; the lower, the more acidic). Our scale turns that into how it feels in the mouth.

The 1–5 scale follows the WSET tasting grid. We start from the producer's technical sheet and Vinogrande's tasting notes, plus measured data where it exists, such as the alcohol on the label. Only when that is missing do we use the typical profile of the style, region or grapes, and we say so.

The 1–5 scale

  1. 1Low: soft, little freshness
  2. 2Medium−: gentle
  3. 3Medium: fresh and balanced
  4. 4Medium+: lively, mouth-watering This wine
  5. 5High: crisp, racy

In practice, for this wine

Cuts through fat and salt: oily fish, fried food, goat's cheese, lemony dishes. Serve well chilled.

Wine profile · Dessert

Body

Level 4 of 5 — Full and broad – like single cream

What it is

Body is the weight and texture of the wine in your mouth. It comes mainly from alcohol, extract (everything dissolved apart from water), glycerol and, in sweet wines, sugar.

Where you feel it

Across the whole tongue: how much the wine fills your mouth. Think skimmed milk, whole milk and cream.

How we set this level

For this wine, the level comes from: Vinogrande's tasting notes and wine description.

There is no single number for body. Labs measure dry extract (many wines are between 18 and 30 g/L) and alcohol, which WSET says has the biggest effect on body. Our scale rates the weight in the mouth.

The 1–5 scale follows the WSET tasting grid. We start from the producer's technical sheet and Vinogrande's tasting notes, plus measured data where it exists, such as the alcohol on the label. Only when that is missing do we use the typical profile of the style, region or grapes, and we say so.

The 1–5 scale

  1. 1Light: fluid and delicate
  2. 2Medium−: light-ish
  3. 3Medium: rounded
  4. 4Medium+: broad This wine
  5. 5Full: dense and rich

In practice, for this wine

Wants dishes with structure: red meat, roasts, mushrooms, aged cheese.

Wine profile · Dessert

Sweetness

Level 5 of 5 — Very sweet and luscious – like honey or dried figs

What it is

Sweetness comes from the grape's natural sugar that did not turn into alcohol (residual sugar). A dry wine has almost none; a Port or a late-harvest wine has a lot.

Where you feel it

On the tip of your tongue, right from the first sip, and as a richer, oilier feel in the mouth. Acidity can mask it.

How we set this level

For this wine, the level comes from: the rules of the style (WSET; IVDP for Port and Madeira).

It is measured in grams of residual sugar per litre. General EU bands: dry up to about 4 g/L, off-dry up to 12, medium-sweet up to 45, sweet above that. On our scale: under 4 g/L = 1, up to 12 = 2, up to 45 = 3, up to 100 = 4, more = 5.

The 1–5 scale follows the WSET tasting grid. We start from the producer's technical sheet and Vinogrande's tasting notes, plus measured data where it exists, such as the alcohol on the label. Only when that is missing do we use the typical profile of the style, region or grapes, and we say so.

The 1–5 scale

  1. 1Dry: no noticeable sugar
  2. 2Off-dry: a touch of sweetness
  3. 3Medium-sweet: clearly sweet
  4. 4Sweet: rich and fruity
  5. 5Very sweet: luscious This wine

In practice, for this wine

A dessert in itself: chocolate, nuts, aged or blue cheese. A small glass is enough.

Wine profile · Dessert

Alcohol 13.5% vol

Level 4 of 5 — Generous – warms the throat

What it is

Alcohol is made when yeast ferments the grape's sugar. It brings warmth, adds to the body and carries the aromas.

Where you feel it

As warmth in your throat and chest when you swallow, and a slight burn on the nose when it is high.

How we set this level

For this wine, the level comes from: the alcohol stated on the label — On the label: 13.5% vol.

It is the one axis that is always measured: it comes from the % vol on the label. Still and sparkling wines: under 11% = 1, up to 12.4% = 2, up to 13.4% = 3, up to 14.4% = 4, 14.5% or more = 5. Fortified wines (Port, Madeira…) have their own scale: under 16.5% = 2, up to 18.4% = 3, up to 19.9% = 4, 20% or more = 5.

The 1–5 scale follows the WSET tasting grid. We start from the producer's technical sheet and Vinogrande's tasting notes, plus measured data where it exists, such as the alcohol on the label. Only when that is missing do we use the typical profile of the style, region or grapes, and we say so.

The 1–5 scale

  1. 1Low: under 11% vol
  2. 2Medium−: 11–12.4% vol
  3. 3Medium: 12.5–13.4% vol
  4. 4Medium+: 13.5–14.4% vol This wine
  5. 5High: 14.5% vol or more

In practice, for this wine

Avoid very spicy food, which boosts the heat. Serve slightly below room temperature.

Wine profile · Dessert

Intensity

Level 2 of 5 — Delicate – fine, restrained aromas

What it is

Aromatic intensity is how strongly the aromas come through: fruit, flowers, spice, oak, notes of age.

Where you feel it

On the nose, before you sip: how strongly the aromas rise from the glass. Swirling releases them.

How we set this level

For this wine, the level comes from: Vinogrande's tasting notes and wine description.

It is a sensory judgement, with no lab figure. We only show it when the wine's description or a review mentions it.

The 1–5 scale follows the WSET tasting grid. We start from the producer's technical sheet and Vinogrande's tasting notes, plus measured data where it exists, such as the alcohol on the label. Only when that is missing do we use the typical profile of the style, region or grapes, and we say so.

The 1–5 scale

  1. 1Subtle: you have to look for it
  2. 2Delicate This wine
  3. 3Medium: clear aromas
  4. 4Expressive
  5. 5Pronounced: fills the glass

In practice, for this wine

Delicate dishes that won't mask the aromas.

Critics & awards

Serve & enjoy

Temperature 8–10 °CFridge 3 h · or ice bucket with water 20 min
GlassPort / dessert glass

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Pairings, alternatives and advice in seconds

Description

Château d'Yquem 2022 is described as a "solar", historic vintage, marked by exceptional concentration due to the intense heat and extreme drought of that year. Released in March 2025, it stands out for having the highest residual sugar since the legendary 1945 vintage.

The Wine AdvocateRP 98Reviewed by: Yohan Castaing

A blend of 80% Sémillon and 20% Sauvignon Blanc, the 2022 d’Yquem is a strong contender for wine of the vintage. It offers a remarkably delicate, complex, vibrant bouquet of rose, candied citrus, exotic fruit and orange marmalade. Full-bodied, dense and deep, with impeccable balance reinforced by a succulent fruit core, bright acidity, a lovely food-friendly bitterness and dry extract leading to a long, ethereal, delicately perfumed, refined finish.

Lorenzo Pasquini and his team understood the vintage perfectly by favouring third pickings in the blend, fully exposed to Botrytis cinerea, bringing density and precision along with an energetic, beautifully balanced interplay of bitterness and sweetness.

Residual sugar reaches 160 grams per litre, the second highest since the iconic 1945 vintage.

Published: 16 January 2025.

Château d'Yquem is in the Sauternes region, with 113 hectares of vineyards on soils rich in pebbles and gravel, making it warm and dry, ideal for sweet wines. The style of these wines is hard to describe, offering a myriad of well-balanced, complex flavours that build even more harmony over time.

Marked by an exceptionally hot, dry summer, the superb Château d'Yquem 2018 shines with purity and airy elegance, confirming its iconic status among the Grands Crus Classés of Sauternes.

With refinement and subtlety, Château d'Yquem 2018 reveals the complexity of an aromatic palette full of “nuances” and purity. Fresh white fruit and floral fragrances give way to exotic fruit flavours evoking mango, vanilla and beeswax. On the palate, Château d'Yquem 2018 offers the pleasure of a complex liqueur, with tasty notes of exotic fruit, candied fruit and a pinch of caramel. Brilliant purity and elegance; the texture keeps the delicacy that defines the Yquem style thanks to lovely, vibrant acidity whose energy stretches the length into a finish bursting with freshness. A superb Château d'Yquem, complex and distinctive, promising great Sauternes development.

What to serve with this wine

Dishes calculated from this wine’s profile, grapes and region.