New Release: 2021 Chateau Yquem, "epic length" (LPB)
Today is the release of the 2021 vintage of the world’s greatest and most famous sweet wine, the mighty Chateau Yquem. A benchmark against which all others are measured; Yquem is an icon, making every new release a big event. With big scores and excellent notes from the critics, this 2021 will get plenty of attention.
Yquem has an immense reputation. For Jane Anson, “It’s hard to think of a more famous sweet wine in the world”. This fame comes from its consistent excellence. As Anson goes on, “I can honestly say that of all the First Growths… it is perhaps the only one that has never once disappointed on opening a bottle”.
This consistency is due to the immense care and attention displayed. Harvest involves an incredible 200 pickers and up to ten passes, while yields are minuscule, meaning that each vine produces only a tiny amount of precious liquid.
The 2021 is an excellent young vintage. For Lisa Perrotti-Brown, “The palate is fantastically satiny, with great tension and loads of spicy sparks complementing the citrusy flavors, finishing with epic length”. For her, it is worthy of 97 points. Neal Martin calls it “opens wonderfully in the glass, gaining more frangipane and kaki fruit scents”. He awarded it 96 points.
Do take a look and let us know if you would like to secure a case or two.
2021 Chateau d’Yquem
£1,590 per case (6*75cl OWC) in bond
£795 per case (3*75cl OWC) in bond
£1,590 per case halves (12*37.5cl OWC) in bond
£795 per case halves (6*37.5cl OWC) in bond
97 points Lisa Perrotti-Brown
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. 54,000 bottles were made. The alcohol is 13.9%, and the pH is 3.79. (2024) www.thewineindependent.com
96 points Neal Martin
The 2021 Yquem was tasted in Amsterdam, the first wine poured at a lunch, thereby allowing me a longer period to examine it. Slightly burnished in hue, it has a very attractive bouquet with scents of dried quince, clementine, linseed and subtle candle wax, perhaps more discrete than usual, but certainly fresh and vibrant. The palate is medium-bodied and viscous on the entry, a Yquem with perhaps a lighter chassis than recent vintages, prioritizing poise and purity over horsepower— exactly the right approach in such a challenging season. It opens wonderfully in the glass, gaining more frangipane and kaki fruit scents, though it seems to have a lighter and more tensile finish than the 2020 or 2019. As such, I suspect that it will be comparatively approachable and, of course, delicious. Readers should note that I will probably re-taste the 2021 in Bordeaux during primeur. (2024) www.vinous.com Drink 2030-2060
Offered subject to final confirmation.
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