Chateau d'Yquem - 'Y d'Yquem' White 2021

Grape

60% Sauvignon Blanc, 40% Sémillon

Tasting notes

The 2021 Y de Yquem (or 'Y' Ygrec) is a rare dry white Bordeaux blending roughly 60-65% Sauvignon Blanc and 35-40% Sémillon, with a bright, precise nose of lime blossom, kumquat, and struck-flint minerality, leading to a textured, medium-to-full palate with racy acidity and a subtle, fascinating touch of sweetness on the finish.

Fresh lemon pith, kumquat, dried lime, and grapefruit lead the citrus and fruit character, joined by distinctive struck-flint, crushed stone, and wet slate minerality, plus floral and spice notes of lime blossom, acacia, elderflower, and hints of aniseed.

Medium to full-bodied with a remarkable, oily, silky texture, the palate shows white peach, spicy pear, and subtle tinned apricot over a cool, steely core. The acidity is razor-sharp, bright, and refreshingly penetrating, and the finish is long and zesty, balanced by a faint, beguiling trace of residual sweetness.

More About The Winery

Few names in the world of wine carry the same weight as Château d'Yquem. The only estate ever classified as Premier Cru Supérieur in the historic Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855, Yquem stands alone at the summit of Sauternes.

Its uniqueness lies in an extraordinary natural phenomenon: Botrytis cinerea, or noble rot, which shapes the estate's celebrated sweet wines. Y d'Yquem is the estate's dry white, made in select years from grapes harvested before botrytis sets in — a rare opportunity to taste Yquem's terroir and winemaking precision in a fresh, structured style.

Production across the estate is extremely limited, and in challenging years Yquem will choose not to produce its Grand Vin at all — an uncompromising commitment to quality that defines its legacy. Château d'Yquem is not simply a wine; it is a benchmark, a reference point against which all great sweet and dry wines from the estate are measured.