Chateau D 39;yquem Vintage Chart
Sandra Grady
As a special thank you from the French soldiers that were treated there, they planted a chestnut tree that can be seen slightly past the walls of the chateau. Bertrand de Lur Saluces, also served as the President of the Union des Crus Classes de la Gironde for forty years.
He was instrumental in determining many of the AOC regulations for the Sauternes appellation when it was officially created. He was also one of the leading proponents of chateau bottling to guarantee authenticity.
Today Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc are planted in their own, respective parcels. That was not always the case. In the early part of the 20th century, the vines were often co-planted, although they were divided by the same ratio that exists today.
The terroir is at the highest elevation in Sauternes reaching up to 80 meters of elevation. This awards the vineyard a unique microclimate. The micro-climate is paramount, because it allows for winds from the east to move through the vineyard, helping to remove unwanted, excessive moisture, especially later in the growing season, as the noble rot sets in.
And due to its elevation and soils, you also find more effective drainage here. The vineyard has 3 undulating slopes that range in height from 30 meters to 80 meters, (262 feet). At its peak elevation, the vineyard faces north, in the direction of the Garonne river.
The terroir is a combination of clay, gravel, and sand over a bed of deep, limestone soil. The clay varies, depending on the parcel. You can find deposits of clay with limestone and even some of the same blue clay that makes up the soil of Petrus.
Botrytis cinerea is a fungus that infects and attacks grapes. It is better known as noble rot, due to the special and sought-after qualities it imparts to the fruit. This rot needs specific conditions to develop, dampness or humidity in the morning, coupled with warmth later in the day.
This leaves the fruit without much moisture. The grapes become shriveled, dehydrated, and concentrated with new characteristics. These new qualities are sought after in Sauternes and other wine regions outside Bordeaux for their honey-filled, tropical, roasted nut and exotic sensations.
The vinification takes place in 100% new, French oak barrels. Another change in the winemaking at Yquem is the amount of time the wine spends aging in new oak. The wine is aged in different barrels that are arranged depending on the picking date of each parcel during the harvest.
In 2011, the estate changed its vinification process. In prior vintages, in order to halt to fermentation process to retain higher sugar levels, they reduced the temperature. But since 2011, they have added sulfur to stop fermentation.
Prior to 2000, Yquem was aged for an average of 36 months in 100% new, French oak barrels. Today, Yquem spends only 30 months in 100% new, French oak barrels. The grapes come from up to 40 different parcels. The blending of the parcels and both grape varieties take place about 10 months after the harvest for between 80% and 90% of the harvest.
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Let's start from the beginning. The famous chateau is located in the village of Sauternes in the Graves wine region, southeast of the city of Bordeaux. The chateau's vineyards are planted with smillion (80%) and sauvignon blanc (20%). The third permitted white grape in the Sauternes appellation, muscadelle, is not found here at all.
The proximity of the rivers Garonne and Ciron and the fog they disperse provides the perfect habitat for the fungus botrytis cinerea. This fungus in turn is responsible for what the French call la pourriture noble: noble rot. The fungus drills small holes in the ripe grapes, causing the moisture in the grapes to evaporate. Leaving shriveled, purplish grapes with a high sugar content.
Since the process of noble rot does not take place on every vine or even within every bunch at the same time, the harvesting of the rot-affected grapes is very time-consuming. Sometimes it even takes 13 harvesting runs (tries) to pick out the perfect grapes. The harvest usually starts in October and the last run through the vineyard can even take place in December. Obviously, this is all done by hand; a particularly labor-intensive process involving 200 pickers. The yield is also very low: about 8 to 10 hectoliters per hectare. That ultimately comes down to just 1 glass of wine per vine!
The complexity of Chteau d'Yquem is mainly due to the incredible balance between sweetness and acidity, a combination that is also responsible for the enormous aging potential of this wine. During the aging process in the bottle, additional aromas such as salted caramel, crme brule, toast, and brioche are also created, which provide additional complexity.
And, as with any wine of exceptional quality, Yquem's production is all about perfection. Perfection in every step of the process, from the vine to the bottle. All the barriques used are 100% new French oak. The chateau has also been working organically in the vineyard since 2019. By 2022, Yquem must be fully certified organic. In addition, owner Bernard Arnault announced in 2019 that he wanted to work fully biodynamically in both vineyard and cellar in the future. As an experiment, 50 hectares are already being processed biodynamically.
Tasting or drinking a glass of Yquem is of course an experience in itself, but with certain combinations, a so-called 1+1=3 situation can arise. Sauternes and noble sweet wine in general are sometimes (incorrectly) labeled as 'dessert wine'. While it would be such a shame to match this beautiful wine with a dish that is too sweet. It is much more interesting to look for taste contrasts. A well-known and extremely luxurious combination is, of course, that with foie gras. Lobster and spicy Asian dishes are also a good match with a (young) Yquem.
That is not to say that Yquem does not work at all with desserts. A combination with a not too sweet crme brule can be fantastic. And a matured Yquem with a delicate blue cheese (sweet and salty!) is heavenly.
Whether you have to decant your bottle of Yquem (or actually carafe in this case) depends first of all on the vintage. As a rule, you should be careful when decanting wines that are 20+ years old. Exposure to a lot of oxygen all at once can sometimes do old wine more harm than good. After opening the bottle, it is advisable to taste first a little yourself so that you can make a good decision yourself.
Young Sauternes, on the other hand, can benefit from some extra oxygen to fully reveal their aromas. Open the wine at least 30 minutes before you want to drink it and keep the bottle cold in the meantime. You drink Yquem at cellar temperature, so between 12 and 15 degrees Celsius.
Due to their high sugar content and acidity, the wines of Chteau d'Aquem have an enormous lifespan. A 20-year-old Yquem is in fact still a baby and the best vintages are still in perfect condition even after a century. Please note, a young Yquem is of course a completely different wine than an aged one. Sauternes has a golden yellow color in its youth but it changes color over the years from amber to brown. Primary aromas and flavors (citrus, tropical fruit, honey) of the youth slowly turn into tertiary notes (caramel, toast).
Before 2000, Yquem was aged for 36 months in new French oak, now it is only 30 months. As a result, the wines are more fruit-forward than before 2000 and therefore ready to drink sooner. In addition, climate change has led to increasingly warmer summers, making Yquem's style increasingly rich and concentrated over the years.
On average, 100,000 bottles of Sauternes are marketed by Chteau d'Yqyem each year. There are only 10,000 of the Y d'Yquem.
Best of Wines not only sells the younger vintages but also has an extensive selection of older Yquems in its portfolio in both standard format and in half bottles. And what about this incredible double magnum that is still waiting for a new Yquem-loving owner?
Primarily this is when the different water temperatures of the two rivers (the Garonne and its tributary the ciron) mix, giving rise to morning mists. additionally, on warm, sunny days grapes can dry and concentrate without being ravaged by grey rot or other diseases.
If and when all this occurs, noble rot can then attack the grapes, contributing greater concentration, acidity and complexity to the wines. It also adds recognisable aromas and flavours, ranging from hints of varnish to nail polish, intense tropical fruit notes and smoke, that may not be to every wine lovers liking. therefore, knowing a little about each vintage is important in picking wines that will prove most suited to your palate.
2008 was particularly challenging in Sauternes where the hard frost of 6-7 April combined with mildew-inducing rain, hail and constantly changing weather for much of the season reduced yields dramatically. Average for the crus classs was just 6.5hl/ha, though there were big variations: some vineyards were devastated, others lost nothing.
As elsewhere, the Indian summer brought salvation. The unbroken sunshine and humid conditions were good for botrytis and vineyards were full of noble rot by late September. Warm Atlantic breezes helped concentrate juice and flavour further.
Though the botrytis of late September/early October was never really improved upon, harvesting nonetheless continued well into a sunny November as producers strived to pick bunches in optimum condition. Chteau Rieussec finished 19 November, the latest in memory.
2006 more than many another vintages saw winemakers having to very work hard in the vineyard to have any chance of reflecting the potential of the vintage. Crop thinning, leaf plucking (to promote ripeness) and diligently sorting after picking were vital if costly.
Despite the odds, many growers pulled it off, and while most critics hesitate to call the vintage outstanding, they are impressed with the cool purity of the fruit and overall complexity of some of the wines, from both appellations.
Freshness, long flavours and good length are key characteristics, and while many of the wines are approachable young (from 2010), they have the structure to age for decades.