Presentation
It comes from the same exceptional terroirs and vines as Château d'Yquem. Since 1996, without denying its unique character, Y has evolved by incorporating freshness and tension, hallmarks of a great modern white wine.
Terroir
Here are concentrated in a rare alchemy all the favorable elements of Sauternes. The soils, warm and drying on the surface benefit from the accumulation of heat by the pebbles of the large gravel. They also have good water reserves due to the clayey nature of their subsoils. Many springs also emerge and the control of the soil's water regime has long motivated the implementation of drainage. The vast expanse of Yquem has allowed the vineyard to be planted on a very wide range of the geological mosaic of Sauternes. The extraordinary variety of soils resulting from this is a fundamental element of the final complexity of Yquem wine.
Ageing
12 months in oak barrels. 1/3 new oak and 2 / 3 barrels previously used for Yquem
Varietals
Sauvignon : 70%
Sémillon : 30%
Tasting
“As you swirl a glass of Y 2024, the wine opens with a bouquet quite unlike recent vintages, almost pastoral in character, evolving into aromatic herbs such as chervil and thyme, but also citrus notes – lemon zest, grapefruit – which, combined with those lively herbal aromas, rise together to the nose in the most refreshing way. Behind these aromas are very refined floral notes of delicate white flowers, such as lily of the valley and lemon blossom. This is not a powerful wine, it doesn’t impose itself. Instead, everything is gentle and subtle and quite complex, as you pass from flowers to citrus fruits to aromatic herbs. All of this is very well integrated, leading seamlessly into a palate without the great density of Y 2022 or Y 2023, but which remains very fresh and lively, even as it delicately coats the palate and lingers there. For me, it’s a wine that evokes the countryside, as if you were strolling through a field in early spring, when the flowers are just starting to bloom – very delicate aromas, yet very much present, which for me is the nature of finesse.”