Grands crus atlas
Area under vine at the estate, from its technical sheet — it does not change from one vintage to the next. Each vintage’s blend, by contrast, departs from it: that figures on its own page. The estate does not publish the share of each grape variety: they are listed without proportions.
Relief exaggerated ×5 · elevation 34 to 80 m · average slope 2.8°
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Footprint, parcels and their split are measured on the Compagnie Médocaine’s own parcel survey; elevation, slope and aspect on the Mapbox terrain-rgb digital terrain model, derived from IGN’s RGE ALTI over France. Compare with the blend on the technical sheet, at the top of the page: the two answer different questions.
The philosophy of Yquem has remained the same for more than five centuries: to produce this wine of excellence only if nature is kind and allows the famous glass per vine to be harvested.
Here, in a rare alchemy, all the favourable elements of the Sauternais come together. The soils, warm and quick-drying at the surface, benefit from the heat stored by the large gravel stones. They also hold good water reserves owing to the clay nature of their lower layers. Many springs indeed come to the surface, and the control of the soil's water regime long ago prompted the installation of drainage. The great extent of Yquem has made it possible to plant the vineyard across a very wide range of the geological mosaic of the Sauternais. The extraordinary variety of soils that results is a fundamental element in the final complexity of the wine of Yquem.
Alcohol, yield and vine age are those of the 2022 vintage; they vary from year to year. Only the area above stays stable from one vintage to the next.
| Vintage | Best score | Vintage character | Technical sheet |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 100 James Suckling | Drought all but ruled out botrytis: wines candied by passerillage more than truly roasted. | fiche · PDF |
| 2019 | 98 Vinous | A warm, dry autumn gave rich wines, sometimes overly sun-drenched, where freshness is hard to find. | fiche · PDF |
| 2018 | 97 James Suckling | The warm autumn made botrytis difficult; Yquem overcame it and delivered a powerful wine, roasted and perfectly balanced. | PDF français · PDF anglais |
| 2016 | 99 James Suckling | Late botrytis in a dry autumn gave balanced wines, on candied citrus more than on roasted notes. | fiche · PDF |
| 2015 | 99-100 James Suckling | A dry September curbed botrytis: rich, sun-drenched wines, broader than taut. | fiche · PDF |
| 2013 | 98-99 James Suckling | Impossible for the reds, the 2013 autumn was ideal for botrytis: precise, radiant sweet wines. | fiche · PDF |
| 2011 | 98 James Suckling | Early, perfectly mastered botrytis gave taut, thoroughbred wines, already held to be legendary. | fiche · PDF |
| 2010 | 97 James Suckling | Slow, steady botrytis gave wines of remarkable purity, more taut than 2009. | fiche · PDF |
| 2009 | 100 Wine Advocate | An ideal autumn after a hot summer gave opulent, complex sweet wines, capable of holding for several decades. | fiche · PDF |
| 2008 | — | Botrytis that only took hold in November gave lively, thoroughbred wines, harvested very late. | fiche · PDF |
| 2007 | 98 Wine Advocate | A divine autumn for botrytis gave the great vintage of the sweet wines: precise, complex, of rare freshness. | fiche · PDF |
| 2006 | 98 Wine Advocate | A rainy September called for selective picking passes: balanced, clean wines, without excess liqueur. | fiche · PDF |
| 2005 | 98 Wine Advocate | Perfect noble rot in a dry autumn gave a splendid tension between liqueur and acidity. | fiche · PDF |
| 2004 | — | A cool autumn produced only modest botrytis: light, fresh sweet wines, to be drunk young. | fiche · PDF |
| 2003 | — | The heatwave kept botrytis from taking hold: wines candied by passerillage, rich and powerful rather than roasted. | fiche · PDF |
“Best score”: the highest score recorded for this wine, with its source. “Character”: the overall reading of the year across the appellation, which an estate may depart from.
Availability, allocations and terms: the Compagnie Médocaine will reply promptly. The estate and vintage are already filled in in the message.
The texts below copy in one click for your product sheets, catalogues and social channels. The printable sheet condenses the whole page onto a single A4 page.
For this vintage, the media library contains: packshots, labels. High-definition packshots, labels, back labels and lifestyle photos are reserved for clients and partners, on the Compagnie Médocaine’s VinCod media library.
Sheet checked on September 21, 2026. Technical data: the estate’s VinCod sheets. Critic scores: sources cited above, with their date. Vintage benchmarks and character: Compagnie Médocaine’s own editorial read. Soils and relief, where shown: the Compagnie Médocaine’s parcel survey and the Mapbox/IGN terrain model.
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