2021 Chateau d'Yquem Sauternes 375ml

100 Points - James Suckling, jamessuckling.com
#34 on the Top 100 wines of 2024
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. About 54,000 bottles made. Relatively small harvest. 148 g/L residual sugar.

98 Points - Inside 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 - The Wine Independent
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.