Château d'Yquem

The Château d'Yquem is the Sauternes that made the history of the denomination, the first and only sweet white wine to obtain the recognition of " Premier Cru Supérieur " in the historic Bordeaux Classification of 1855. It is produced from grapes that carry structure, the Sémillon , and finesse, the Sauvignon Blanc, coming from vineyards located in an enclave of Graves, in the southwest part of Bordeaux , where the ideal conditions for the development of Botrytis cinerea, or "noble rot" , which once colonized the bunches, transforms sugars into substances that will help to characterize their aromas and flavor, in all its refinement.

From a starting color pale golden yellow, it gradually takes on darker colors, acquiring amber reflections that change into bronze. Its fresher floral hints of tropical fruit and vanilla evolve into elegant hints of honey, saffron, caramel and toasted walnuts. On the palate it expresses all its sweetness, richness and depth, but is supported by a good acidic shoulder that keeps it fresh and vital. With a consistency similar to silk, it guarantees a unique tasting experience , the result of an inimitable terroir, an ancestral savoir-faire, meticulous and passionate care.

Even if pairing with desserts is immediate, the complexity of this product makes it the ideal accompaniment to Asian cuisine, sushi, fresh, seasoned or blue cheeses (Roquefort, Gorgonzola, etc.), and foie gras , which represents the most classic combination. It can be served with seafood, oysters, crabs, lobster. It is suggested to serve the youngest vintages at 9 ° C and the older ones at slightly higher temperatures (12 ° C).

Sauternes AOC 1er Cru Classé Supérieur 2021 Château d'Yquem

0,75 ℓ

The Sauternes Château d'Yquem is born in vineyards located in the Gironde, south of the Bordeaux region. Château d'Yquem is one of the premier crus included in the Official Classification of Bordeaux Wines of 1855, the only Sauternes. This classification system was wanted by the Emperor Napoleon III on the occasion of the Universal Exposition in Paris, in order to make the best Bordeaux wines more recognizable even outside the borders of France. The wines were ordered from first to fifth cru bas...

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Type of wine

Straw wine

Ageing in barrel

Long

Body

Robust

Aroma

Nutty

Origin

France, Bordeaux

Discount 10%

359 €

per bottle (0,75 ℓ) 478.67 €/ℓ

incl. VAT and taxes

Was: 403 €

Lowest price: 403 €

The vintages

The harvest takes place in several steps, grape by grape , selecting only the bunches attacked by mold according to the evolution stage of the same, so as to obtain a unique complexity, which becomes even more noble, following aging in new oak barriques French, extendable to over a century .

Château d'Yquem is produced only in the best vintages and each vintage is a story in itself , made of micromoments and microfactors that are reflected in the composition of one of the finest wines in history, making it unique and unrepeatable.

2003 - The vintage was characterized by a warm climate starting from mid-May, reaching record temperatures in August. This unusual summer, combined with the 35mm of rain that occurred at the beginning of September, gave rise to a massive attack of Botrytis which led to a very rare event: the entire production was collected in a single pass. As elegant as atypical , this vintage is said to recall the conditions that led to the very first production of moldy wines in the Sauternes region.
2005 - Everything made us think of a great vintage : moderate water stress, a mild summer finish conducive to maintaining a good level of acidity; alternating periods of rain and dry heat optimal for the formation of Botrytis. The wine has an extraordinarily complex aroma, confirming the extraordinary quality & agrave; of the harvest.
2006 - In light of the extreme climatic differences between the beginning and the end of the season, this year alone can demonstrate the dexterity and responsiveness of the Yquem team. By overcoming the effects of bad weather, defined insurmountable by observers, they managed to cope perfectly with adversity, harvesting each starts at the optimal moment.
2007 - Due to the bad weather during the whole season, 2007 seemed like a year to forget: a cold summer, with 100mm of rainfall that had caused many berries to explode. The maturation was therefore very irregular, however a miraculous and radical change in the climate conducive to Botrytis transformed what initially seemed to be a handicap into a decisive advantage. In fact, the variety and complexity of the grapes harvested during the various stages produced a fantastic wine.
2009 - 2009 was a perfect year from a climatic point of view until the last day of the harvest, which ended on October 19th. The sun-kissed bunches were perfectly ripe and rich in juice, with a providential botritizzazione formed by heat and rain. The harvest had a rhythm that recalls that of 1989, the opulence of 1990, the intensity of 2003, and the concentration of 2001 and 1893 together - making it a true masterpiece . Not surprisingly, the famous American critic Robert Parker gave her the score 100/100 .