Château D'Yquem 2016 - 1st Great Cru Class Sauternes
Anyone who has ever set foot in the Yquem vineyards knows that there is a soul there, a unique emotion: that of traveling beyond time, in the grandeur and tranquility of a place that overlooks the Sauternes landscapes in 360 degrees. We intuitively detect a form of natural harmony between the wine, the landscape, the architecture, the people, and the feeling that they have eternity before them.
It is as if the estate has always been able to both anticipate and follow the major movements of the world, while maintaining its own way of doing things and its independent outlook.
The estate is currently managed by Lorenzo Pasquini, as Director of Operations, whom Pierre Lurton knows well since he was already his boss when he ran Cheval des Andes. Lorenzo has put his knowledge of biodynamic farming to good use, as the estate began its organic certification two years ago.
Furthermore, he has already begun to consider the evolution of the Y to bring greater consistency between this dry white wine and its sweeter older brother.
The château also offers the Y d'Yquem.
The final blend contains 138 g/l of residual sugar, slightly less than the previous vintage, with a total acidity of 5.5 g/l and 14.4% alcohol. Tasting the 2019, I noticed it had a slightly paler hue compared to recent vintages (although I never trust the color of young Sauternes too much).
Certainly, its highly aromatic bouquet is seductively pure, with aromas of goat's milk leaf and saffron, soon joined by chamomile, white flowers, and orange blossom.
It is wonderfully defined and gains intensity with aeration. The palate is supremely well-balanced with a fine bead of acidity. Very harmonious and endowed with the right amount of viscosity, this Yquem is surprisingly understated at first but gains in presence, offering irresistible flavors of layers of honey, lemongrass, lemon thyme, and orange pith. Yquem is so tempting in its youth, but I think this vintage will reward those with the good sense to cellar it for at least a decade.
By Neal Martin, Vinous.com, February 2022
Data sheet
- Designation
- Sauternes
- Year
- 2016
- Color
- White
- Acceptance
- 75% Sémillon, 25% Sauvignon
- Alcohol level
- 14°2
- Apogee
- 2020 - 2070
Jean-Marc Quarin / Quarin.com - Noté 98/100 (may 2023)
Jane Anson / Inside Bordeaux - Noté 97/100 (may 2022)
Neal Martin / Vinous - Noté 95/100 (april 2022)
Jeff Leve / The Wine Cellar Insider - Noté 97/100 (november 2018)
Lisa Perotti-Brown / The Wine Independent - Noté 98+/100 (march 2019)