2023
Pure yet concentrated, 2023 Château d’Yquem is the perfect illustration of a well-balanced wine and the ultimate way to end a magnificent trilogy.
2023 is a dream vintage, a magnificent, perfectly-balanced reward for all the hard work of the teams at Yquem. Because blessings only happen when the conditions are just right. The Greek word apotheosis is used to describe “an event or undertaking which finishes in brilliant or extraordinary fashion”. The 2023 growing season witnessed an alignment of weather conditions so propitious to the production of Château d’Yquem that everybody knew, as soon as the grapes were harvested, that we were in the presence of a truly great vintage. But without the experience of the two previous years, and the intelligence and adaptability accrued by our teams, things might have turned out very differently. The 2023 vintage is a valuable lesson in this respect: we humans are not the focal point around which everything else spins; it is our duty to walk hand-in-hand with nature. Because when it came to coping with a tropical spring, an extremely hot summer – broken up by bouts of rain, fortunately for us – and the high-pressure systems of late September, our teams produced a masterclass in forward planning and agile decision-making. The result is a wine as crisp as it is concentrated, as powerful as it is delicate. Everything fans of Yquem could dream of can be found under the seal of the 2023 vintage.
This was the vintage we had been waiting for, and it certainly delivered, rounding off a spellbinding trilogy.
2021 with its crystalline beauty, 2022 with its sun-kissed vigour, and now 2023 with its divine sense of balance. Each vintage casts new light on the others, like panels in a triptych by a Renaissance master.
2021, 2022 and 2023 are three incredible vintages. Each one bears the signature of both extreme and optimum weather conditions, which produced unique vintages full of contrasts. For lovers of Yquem, these three years definitely deserve to be considered together, like chapters of a trilogy where each one enhances the other. This 21st-century trilogy also reiterates the fundamental characteristics of Yquem: aromatic brilliance, balance and persistence. It once again illustrates the philosophy of excellence which guides the new team, who have inherited the spirit of Joséphine Sauvage and Alexandre de Lur-Saluces. This quest for excellence is what drives us to adapt, research and take risks to make the most of the conditions nature bestows upon the vineyards.
This trilogy is not a miracle from the sky: its beauty is shaped by the resilience of the vines and the wisdom of our people, led by humility, patience and adaptation. These three lights of Yquem illuminate our relationship to the world, time and its infamous contrasts.
A year marked by cool nights and days, producing an ethereal and crystal-clear Château d’Yquem.
Is there anything more satisfying than a happy ending – especially when things get off to a frantic start? The story of the 2021 vintage at Château d’Yquem will be told for many years to come, because it was truly packed with twists and turns. The spring was hard going, dominated by frost, hail and the threat of mildew, constantly keeping the winegrowing teams on their toes to find solutions to protect the vines against the vagaries of the weather. But 2021 Yquem is also the result of celestial blessings in the form of a luscious summer with no signs of excess heat followed by a cool, tranquil autumn, thanks to which the harvest, at threat just a few weeks earlier, could eventually unfold in serene conditions. Each and every plot was mottled with a complex dusting of Botrytis cinerea, allowing the grapes to achieve optimal ripeness. There was a sense of quiet confidence in the air throughout the successive rounds of picking, safe in the knowledge that a great vintage was on the cards. Bearing the hallmarks of the cool growing season, 2021 Château d’Yquem is crisply delineated and altogether ethereal, inspiring a sensation akin to weightlessness. It has all the qualities required to age magnificently, but will also deliver immense pleasure in its youth. A story we’ll be telling – and savouring – for years to come.
The result of extreme conditions, this opulent vintage bears the hallmark of vines bathed in sunshine.
“In bottles of Yquem are imprisoned the burning summers of long ago.” Never has a vintage been such a wonderful reflection of the poetic vision of François Mauriac. 2022 was one of those demanding years, where a series of extreme weather conditions marked by unprecedented heat and a prolonged spell of drought caused a great deal of worry among winegrowers. But more than anything, this year produced a powerful, sunny and exuberant Château d’Yquem. Relentless both for mankind and nature, the summer of 2022 allowed the grapes to ripen in a manner that was as dazzling as it was promising. Every day, the outline of a masterpiece in the making was being written in the vineyards. All that was missing was a miraculous spell of rainfall. We needed to wait until the morning of the 15th of October for Botrytis cinerea to spread rapidly and generously. Another period of warm weather and strong south-easterly winds heralded a magnificent harvest. The legend of 2022 Château d’Yquem was thus written in a fever that turned into enthusiasm, an anguish that turned into triumph. It is the promise of a wine with outstanding ageing potential, like all vintages bathed in sunlight.
Both pure and dense, 2023 is a model of balance, giving rise to the first trilogy of the 21st century.
The term “apotheosis” describes something or an event that concludes in a brilliant, extraordinary manner. The year 2023 brought such a favourable combination of climatic conditions for Château d’Yquem that, from the moment the harvest ended, everyone knew this vintage would stand alongside the greatest. But without the experience of the previous two years and the adaptive intelligence of the teams, would it have been so? The story of the 2023 vintage is a true lesson in craftsmanship: it places Man not at the centre of nature, but alongside it. To accompany the tropical spring, the extreme summer heat—fortunately interrupted by rainfall—and the anticyclonic favour at the end of September, required the art of anticipation and decisive action to produce a wine that is at once pure and dense, powerful yet delicate. Everything a winemaker could hope for occurred that year; everything a lover of Yquem could dream of now bears the mark of 2023. The anticipated vintage has thus arrived, and a dazzling new trilogy takes shape with three peaks: 2021 and its crystalline beauty, 2022 and its solar power, 2023 and its divine balance. Each vintage illuminates the others with its light, like the panels of a triptych by a great master.
A “trilogy” is much more than a succession of vintages; it is a historic chapter in its own right, a reflection of the specific conditions leading to their production.
Two legendary triptychs are already engraved in the estate’s history: the prosperous years of 1948-1949-1950, and the iconic 1988-1989-1990 vintages.
A new era is now emerging, with the first trilogy of the 21st century: 2021-2022-2023. It epitomises the promise of continuity, offering a fascinating insight into how we have adapted our winemaking expertise over the decades.
These trilogies will appeal to all fine wine enthusiasts, to those who love to measuring time and enjoying the contrasts of Yquem through the ages.
At Yquem, ageing is a promise: the vintages do not get old – they constantly reinvent themselves. The very nature of Yquem gives it this unrivalled power to enhance the present moment, elevate our emotions, mark an exceptional event... Yquem is undoubtedly the only wine that can keep this everlasting promise.
It is an endless celebration of time, from one generation to the next, and across all cultures.
This very personal sensation of stepping out of time is an analogy for the greatest Château d’Yquem vintages, whose ageing potential is breathtaking. Let’s express our thanks to those who toiled away in the vineyards and picked the grapes most wonderfully affected by Botrytis cinera in 1948, 1989 and 2021. These bottles truly encapsulate the sunshine, the rainfall, and the eras they lived through, which are ready to be shared with – and by – those seeking to create special moments.
This is how Yquem has been maintaining intrinsic ties between worlds for centuries.