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Château d’Yquem 2023
Four Perfect Scores.
100 points from Wine Advocate, James Suckling, Jane Anson and Lisa Perrotti-Brown. Pre-selling now in 750 mL and 375 mL, for the holidays or for the next century.
• Pre-Sale · Arrives Next Week · Last Bottle Of The 2015
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A Personal Note
Dear Artisans,
There is no better wine for the holidays, whether you are giving it or experiencing perfection yourself. And this year the perfection is official: the 2023 Château d’Yquem has four 100-point scores.
We are pre-selling it today in two sizes, the 750 mL bottle and the 375 mL half bottle. Our allocation arrives next week, straight from the importer’s icy-cold warehouse.
Four Perfect Scores
Wine Advocate, James Suckling, Jane Anson and Lisa Perrotti-Brown all gave the 2023 100 points. Vinous and Jeff Leve gave it 99.
Neal Martin at Vinous: “The nose is so seductive that it should come with a warning sticker.” He ends his note with one word, “Sublime.” Lisa Perrotti-Brown chose another: “Monumental.”
Wine Advocate’s Yohan Castaing writes that it “ranks among the finest wines bottled here under Lorenzo Pasquini’s direction,” finishing with “an endless, refined and ethereal finish.” Jeff Leve put it more simply: “In short, 2023 Château d’Yquem ROCKS!”
The One And Only
In the 1855 classification, Château d’Yquem was the one and only wine named Premier Cru Supérieur. Its expertise has been passed down since 1593; the Sauvage and Lur Saluces families preserved it for over 400 years, and LVMH acquired the estate in 1999.
The grapes are harvested in successive selective pickings, taking only the berries touched by noble rot. Jeff Leve reports four passes in 2023, with about 60% of the harvest going into the Grand Vin. The wine is aged in new barrels.
The 2023 Vintage
A tropical spring, then extreme summer heat broken by rain. At the end of September, anticyclonic weather set in and the grapes ripened perfectly; harvest ran from September 14 to October 11.
The 2023 completes a trilogy with 2021 and 2022, sitting between the crystal freshness of 2021 and the solar power of 2022. Jane Anson agrees: “after the extremes of 2021 and 2022, this walks the line between the two, exceptional.”
Drink It Now, Or In 2100
Yes, you can drink this now. Or age it for the next 20, 50, 75, even 100 years.
James Suckling: “I can’t get over how wonderful this is now, but it can age forever.” Jeff Leve’s drinking window runs to 2100, and Vinous’s to 2090.
Gift-Ready, In Wood
The 750 mL comes in a gorgeous wooden case of three, and the 375 mL half bottle in a gorgeous wooden case of six, but you can buy whatever quantity you like.
Want a bottle now? We have 1 bottle left of the 2015, 100 points from Lisa Perrotti-Brown at The Wine Independent.
James Tran
Artisan Wine & Spirits
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Why This Matters
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Four perfect scores. Wine Advocate, James Suckling, Jane Anson and Lisa Perrotti-Brown at 100; Vinous and Jeff Leve at 99. |
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The one and only. The only Premier Cru Supérieur of the 1855 classification, picked in successive passes for noble-rot berries. |
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Now, or in 2100. James Suckling says it can age forever; Jeff Leve’s drinking window runs to 2100. |
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Gift-ready. 750 mL in wooden cases of three, 375 mL in wooden cases of six, any quantity. Arriving next week. |
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The Wine · Pre-Sale
2023 Château d’Yquem. Sauternes.
Four 100-point scores. In 750 mL and 375 mL, arriving next week.
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Château d’Yquem 2023
Sauternes, Bordeaux · 750 mL & 375 mL
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100
Wine Advocate
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100
James Suckling
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100
Jane Anson
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100
The Wine Palate
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99
Vinous
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99
Jeff Leve
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70% Sémillon and 30% Sauvignon Blanc, picked in successive passes for botrytis-touched berries and matured in 100% new oak. Every review is below, highest score first.
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Wine Advocate · Yohan Castaing
100 Points
The 2023 d’Yquem ranks among the finest wines bottled here under Lorenzo Pasquini’s direction. It unfurls from the glass with a complex, vibrant and remarkably pure bouquet of pineapple, guava, mango, confit citrus, beeswax and spices. Full-bodied, dense and concentrated, it combines formidable depth with perfectly judged control, built around a fleshy core of fruit, framed by lively acidity and a crystalline texture and culminating in an endless, refined and ethereal finish. Yquem’s natural power is here masterfully harnessed by the vintage’s freshness and tension, revealing an aesthetic of precision and vibrancy encountered only in the estate’s greatest years… Drink: 2026-2076. March 2026
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James Suckling
100 Points
Perfect aromas carry through to every milliliter of this wine, showing intense orange peel, honey, butterscotch, saffron, smoke and peat, with hints of coffee and dried apples. Full-bodied but weightless and silky, with an excellent balance of fruit, sweetness and spices. Some peanut brittle, dried oranges and lemons at the end. I can’t get over how wonderful this is now, but it can age forever. Drink or hold. December 2025
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Jane Anson · Inside Bordeaux
100 Points
Power, freshness, depth, after the extremes of 2021 and 2022, this walks the line between the two, exceptional, mandarin, quince, mirabelle plums, white truffle, fresh fruit and confit fruit, a vibration of slate and steel, opulent but slices closed on the finish. The botrytis came early and quickly in 2023. Drink: 2026-2050. February 2026
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The Wine Palate · Lisa Perrotti-Brown
100 Points
The pale gold colored 2023 d’Yquem hits the ground running with vibrant notes of honey-drizzled peaches, juicy pears, and fresh mangoes, leading to a fragrant, highly nuanced undercurrent, including notions of beeswax, chamomile blossoms, and fresh ginger, with a waft of allspice. The rich, seductive, decadently flamboyant palate immediately satisfies with rich orchard and tropical fruit layers, but manages to hold back with tantalizing nuances of floral and mineral notes, electrified by a racy backbone, finishing with epic length and a whispery promise of more stories to tell future generations. Monumental… Drinking Window: 2027-2077.
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Vinous · Neal Martin
99 Points
The nose is so seductive that it should come with a warning sticker. Pure and mellow, it offers beguiling scents of wild honey, quince jelly, almond shavings and that signature hint of saffron destined to accentuate with age… The palate has exquisite balance and poise that belies the depth of this Yquem… It is really the umami sensation that defines the 2023, how it caresses, almost soothes the grateful taste buds, vanilla and flecks of white chocolate lingering on the aftertaste… If the 2023 does have a fault, it’s that it is so flattering in its flush of youth that it will be difficult to resist. Sublime. Drink: 2030-2090. March 2026
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Jeff Leve · The Wine Cellar Insider
99 Points
The perfume bursts with a bouquet of flowers, candied lemon peels, pineapple, white peach, orange, mango, vanilla, saffron, and anise. It is a lively, bright, energetic vintage for Chateau d’Yquem. Rich, intense, opulent, sweet, and palate-coating, yet all of that is balanced by its explosive, racy acidity that provides lift, energy, and length. The finish begins slowly, building, intensifying, and expanding, hitting all four sides of your palate with its unique spicy character and its counterbalancing blend of perfectly ripe, sweet tropical fruits and refreshing acidity… In short, 2023 Château d’Yquem ROCKS! Drink from 2030-2100. March 2026
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| Estate |
Château d’Yquem, Sauternes (Premier Cru Supérieur, 1855) |
| Blend |
70% Sémillon, 30% Sauvignon Blanc |
| Harvest |
Successive selective pickings, September 14 to October 11, 2023 |
| Aging |
100% new oak |
| Drink |
Now (James Suckling) to 2100 (Jeff Leve) |
| Packed |
750 mL in wooden cases of 3; 375 mL in wooden cases of 6; any quantity |
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750 mL Bottle
$424.99
Wooden case of 3 · any quantity
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375 mL Half Bottle
$224.99
Wooden case of 6 · any quantity
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• Pre-Sale · Arrives Next Week
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Want A Bottle Now? · The Last One
2015 Château d’Yquem. Sauternes.
One bottle left. Lisa Perrotti-Brown 100.
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Château d’Yquem 2015
Sauternes, Bordeaux · 750 mL
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100
Wine Independent
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99+
Wine Advocate
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99
Decanter
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99
James Suckling
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A cool year saved by a warm, dry summer and ideal weather at harvest, then rigorous sorting and selection. Here are its top two reviews.
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The Wine Independent · Lisa Perrotti-Brown
100 Points
The 2015 Yquem is beautiful and it knows it! Medium straw-gold in color, it is a little closed with subtle savory notions of almond croissant, nutmeg, powdered ginger, and toasted nuts, over a core of peach preserves, quince, musk melon, and grapefruit oil. Opulent, concentrated and so seductive, the palate delivers amazing texture and tension, finishing with a profound sense of extravagance… Drink 2027-2097. September 2023
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Wine Advocate · Yohan Castaing
99+ Points
The 2015 d’Yquem offers up a multifaceted, entrancing bouquet with aromas of jasmine, lime leaves, grilled bread, saffron, ripe orchard fruits, lemon oil and spices. Crystalline and pure, it’s full-bodied, seamless and layered, with excellent concentration on the mid-palate (thanks to clay soils), concluding with an energetic yet saline finish brought by calcareous soils. This is an opulent but charming vintage for Château d’Yquem, and it could reach the optimum score with a minimum of 20 years of aging… Drink 2023-2070. October 2023
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| Our Price |
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$499.97 / bottle
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• Last Bottle Of The 2015 · Once Gone, Gone
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The Bottom Line
The holiday wine, with four perfect scores.
The 2023 Château d’Yquem: 100 points from Wine Advocate, James Suckling, Jane Anson and Lisa Perrotti-Brown. $424.99 for the 750 mL (wooden cases of three) and $224.99 for the 375 mL half bottle (wooden cases of six), in any quantity you like. It arrives next week.
Give it, or open it. Drink it this holiday, or lay it down for the next century. And if you can’t wait for next week, the last bottle of the 2015 is $499.97.
Cheers,
— James Tran
Artisan Wine & Spirits
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$424.99 · 2023 Pre-Sale
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$224.99 · 2023 Pre-Sale
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$499.97 · Last Bottle
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• Pre-Sale · Arrives Next Week · Last Bottle Of The 2015
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