Characteristics and tasting notes of Chateau d’Yquem 2023
Three years in a row, the noble rot achieved remarkable levels of purity and complexity, blessing us with an exceptional trilogy of vintages, of which Château d’Yquem 2023 represents the apogee. It seems to combine the crystalline freshness of the 2021 with the sun-powered dynamism of the 2022.
The bouquet is at once pure and concentrated, bursting with notes of roasted rhubarb, lilac blossom and citrus fruit, peppered with a dash of cedar and beeswax. The 2023 vintage is velvety smooth and expansive on the palate, with an almond-laced texture which further elevates its sense of liveliness and power.
The full-bodied structure is woven through with notes of apricot, dark plum and mandarin orange marmalade, building up to a long,
indulgent finish. 2023 Château d’Yquem epitomises the miraculous power of noble rot, producing a wine of rare intensity which will gradually reveal its full grandeur over the coming years and decades.
Blend
Sauvignon blanc (30 %)
Sémillon (70 %)
Critic Ratings & Tasting Notes
Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate 100/100
“With 153 grams per liter of residual sugar—placing it among the 10 most concentrated vintages in the château’s history—the 2023 d’Yquem ranks among the finest wines bottled here under Lorenzo Pasquini’s direction. It unfurls from the glass with a complex, vibrant and remarkably pure bouquet of pineapple, guava, mango, confit citrus, beeswax and spices. Full-bodied, dense and concentrated, it combines formidable depth with perfectly judged control, built around a fleshy core of fruit, framed by lively acidity and a crystalline texture and culminating in an endless, refined and ethereal finish. Yquem’s natural power is here masterfully harnessed by the vintage’s freshness and tension, revealing an aesthetic of precision and vibrancy encountered only in the estate’s greatest years—made all the more remarkable by the fact that the château now achieves even higher levels of concentration than a decade ago, without any perceptible increase in sweetness on the palate.”
James Suckling 100/100
“Perfect aromas carry through to every milliliter of this wine, showing intense orange peel, honey, butterscotch, saffron, smoke and peat, with hints of coffee and dried apples. Full-bodied but weightless and silky, with an excellent balance of fruit, sweetness and spices. Some peanut brittle, dried oranges and lemons at the end. I can’t get over how wonderful this is now, but it can age forever. 154 g/L residual sugar. Drink or hold.”
Jane Anson 100/100
“Power, freshness, depth, after the extremes of 2021 and 2022, this walks the line between the two, exceptional, mandarin, quince, mirabelle plums, white truffle, fresh fruit and confit fruit, a vibration of slate and steel, opulent but slices closed on the finish. The botrytis came early and quickly in 2023. Francis Mayeur in final vintage as consultant, after many years as inhouse winemaking team, Lorenzo Pasquini director. 154g/l residual sugar, 3.85ph, harvest September 14 to October 11.”
