Among the world’s most celebrated wines, the Château d’Yquem 2023 reigns supreme in the Sauternes universe. The only 1er Cru Supérieur of the 1855 classification, it represents the utmost in exacting standards, patience and the vision of a great house. This vintage, extending the peak of an inspired trilogy 2021–2023, is aimed at aesthetes, gourmets and collectors looking for a sweet wine that is at once sumptuous and airy. Born on clay-limestone gravel soils that favour Botrytis cinerea, it expresses the nobility of a terroir where light, breeze and mist combine to sculpt a material of extraordinary purity. The harvest, carried out by successive selections to keep only the ideally botrytised berries, demands watchmaker-like precision, berry by berry. The result, patiently aged in new oak barrels for up to 20 months, reveals a wine of vibrant depth, whose balance unfolds in a fabric of silk and light. Yquem dresses richness with a noble freshness and signs a lasting emotion, capable of evolving beautifully until 2070.

Blend and vinification

Made from a blend dominated by Sémillon complemented by Sauvignon Blanc, Château d’Yquem 2023 magnifies the alliance of richness and drive. Sémillon, here about 75%, provides the caressing texture, honeyed depth and ageing capacity, while Sauvignon Blanc brings tension, aromatic lift and citrus brightness. The vines, cultivated with meticulous care in biodynamics, deliver berries concentrated by noble rot, picked through successive selections that mark the ripening of the bunches. Each pass selects grapes at the height of their botrytisation, preserving the accuracy of natural acidity and the finesse of the aromas. Maturation in new oak barrels, for up to 20 months, refines the structure delicately, polishing the edges without ever overpowering the fruit. This surgical orchestration gives 2023 a style of exemplary clarity, where density expresses a weightlessness and sweetness is balanced by a masterful freshness, the signature of great Yquem.

Tasting notes

• Appearance : Luminous gold with bright highlights and a clear sheen, announcing a finely chiselled texture. The viscosity, fine and graceful, already suggests the breadth without heaviness that characterises this high-calibre vintage.
• Nose : Of crystalline precision, it marries stewed rhubarb and lilac with bursts of citrus, encircled by beeswax and a hint of cedar. A deep, vibrant bouquet that gains complexity with aeration and reveals a mosaic of aromas in the making.
• Palate : Broad and silky, it unfolds flavours of apricot, Ente plum and candied mandarin. The structuring freshness tensions the wine like a violin string, and the long, velvety finish stretches into a luminous persistence where finesse outweighs opulence.

Serving temperature and tips

Serve Château d’Yquem 2023 between 10 and 12°C in large white wine glasses to express the full breadth of its texture and the lace of its aromas. Open the bottle a few minutes before serving to let the bouquet open up, and favour a gradual service to appreciate the wine’s evolution during the meal. Storage requires a cool, dark and stable cellar, bottle laid on its side, to preserve the fruit’s vitality and the nobility of the sugars. Thanks to its perfectly balanced architecture, this vintage has an exceptional ageing potential, comfortably until 2070, evolving towards increasingly complex nuances always guided by freshness and finesse.

Food pairings

• Aperitifs : iodised bites, langoustine tartare or caviar that reveal saline energy against the wine’s nuanced sweetness, for a highly elegant contrast.
• Starters : pan-seared or lightly cooked foie gras, scallop carpaccio, lobster in a delicate citrus gelée, where gourmet richness meets citrus tension.
• Main courses : roasted free-range poultry with a light glaze of warm spices, tender veal, subtly spiced Asian cuisine, all enhanced by the lift of Sauvignon.
• Cheeses : delicate blue cheeses, aged Comté, refined sheep’s cheese, which converse with the wine’s honeyed depth and uprightness.
• Desserts : thin citrus tart, roasted apricot, almond-based entremets, allowing a gourmet resonance without excess sweetness.

Occasions

Château d’Yquem 2023 is the companion of the exceptional:

• To celebrate a unique event, where the emotion of a great wine heightens the moment and brings guests together around a symbol.
• At a gourmet dinner where precision cuisine meets the aromatic purity of an iconic Sauternes.
• As an exceptional gift for a knowledgeable enthusiast, a collector’s item to rest in cellar and hand down.

Product details

• Name : Château d’Yquem 2023, 1er Cru Supérieur
• Appellation : Sauternes AOP
• Type : Sweet white wine
• Vintage : 2023
• Grape varieties : Sémillon (75%) and Sauvignon Blanc
• Alcohol : 14%
• Ageing : Aged in new oak barrels for up to 20 months
• Bottle volume : 75 cl
• Cellaring : Until 2070 depending on storage conditions
• Serving temperature : 10-12°C