Y d'Yquem (Ygrec): the dry white wine of Château d'Yquem

The short answer: Y, said “ee-GREK”, is the dry white wine of Château d'Yquem in Sauternes. It is made mostly from Sauvignon Blanc with some Sémillon, from the same vineyard as Yquem's famous sweet wine. Because it is dry, it can't be called Sauternes, so the label says Bordeaux.

Y in one minute

• Name: Y is the letter, and “Ygrec” is how the French say it. You will see it written Y, Ygrec or Y d'Yquem.
• Producer: Château d'Yquem, the only estate ranked Premier Cru Supérieur in the 1855 classification of Sauternes and Barsac. It belongs to the LVMH group.
• Appellation: Bordeaux (AOC Bordeaux Blanc). The Sauternes appellation is for sweet wine only.
• Grapes: mostly Sauvignon Blanc, with some Sémillon.
• Style: dry, rich and fresh at the same time, with real depth.
• Rarity: small production, mostly sold through fine-wine merchants. Price level: Premium.

A short history

• 1959: the first Y. For decades it was made only in some years, and in small amounts.
• 2004: Pierre Lurton took charge of Yquem. From the 2004 vintage, Y has been made every year.
• Today: the style is fresher and more precise than the early Y, built on Sauvignon Blanc picked for freshness and Sémillon picked riper for texture.

The idea is simple: Yquem's vineyard is a great place to grow white grapes, so why make only sweet wine? Y shows the same land without the sugar.

How it is made

For Yquem's sweet wine, pickers go through the vineyard several times, choosing only grapes shrivelled by noble rot (botrytis). Y needs the opposite: healthy, ripe grapes picked for a dry wine. The Sauvignon Blanc is picked early, before the sweet-wine harvest, to keep its freshness and aroma. The Sémillon brings weight and a waxy, honeyed texture. The wine is fermented completely dry: the richness comes from ripe fruit and Sémillon, not from sugar.

What it tastes like

• Young: citrus, white peach and fresh herbs from the Sauvignon Blanc; a round, almost creamy palate from the Sémillon.
• Acidity: fresh, so the richness never feels heavy.
• With age: more honey, beeswax and nutty notes, like great white Pessac-Léognan.
• Is it sweet? No. It is a dry wine, even if the ripeness can give an impression of softness.

How to serve Y

• Temperature: cool, not ice-cold, around 10 to 12°C. Too cold and you lose the texture.
• Glass: a universal glass or a white Burgundy-style glass with room for the aroma. See the best wine glasses.
• Decanting: not required, but a young bottle opens up nicely with half an hour in a decanter.
• When to drink: lovely young for its freshness; good vintages keep and develop for years.

Y with food

• Shellfish: lobster, langoustine, scallops.
• White fish in butter sauce, such as sole or turbot with beurre blanc.
• Poultry with cream and mushrooms.
• Hard cheeses such as aged Comté.

Other dry whites from Sauternes

Y started a family. Several Sauternes estates now make a dry white, usually sold as Bordeaux and often named with a letter: “G” de Château Guiraud and “R” de Rieussec are two to look for, alongside the dry white of Doisy-Daëne. They are a good way to taste Sauternes soils without the sweetness, at a friendlier price. For the whole picture, read white Bordeaux: grapes and styles.

Studying Bordeaux for an exam? My Bordeaux guide for the Certified Sommelier exam covers the classifications, Sauternes included. For a quick pairing idea, ask SOMM DIGI AI.

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