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  • Country ranking ?

    691
  • Producer ranking ?

    41
  • Decanting time

    1h30min
  • When to drink

    now

The Tb points given to this wine are the world’s most valid and most up-to-date evaluation of the quality of the wine. Tastingbook points are formed by the Tastingbook algorithm which takes into account the wine ratings of the world's best-known professional wine critics, wine ratings by thousands of tastingbook’s professionals and users, the generally recognised vintage quality and reputation of the vineyard and winery. Wine needs at least five professional ratings to get the Tb score. Tastingbook.com is the world's largest wine information service which is an unbiased, non-commercial and free for everyone.

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Sotheby’s London announced that an extraordinary 70- vintage vertical collection from the famed Château d’Yquem, arguably the world’s greatest sweet wine, sold to a European Private Buyer for £368,000 (est. in excess of £100,000*) in a sale of Finest and Rarest Wines.
Bidding was vigorous with the highly sought-after lot contested by two telephone bidders and a room bidder. When the hammer finally fell, the price far exceeded expectations. Commenting on the sale, Stephen Mould, Head of Sotheby’s European Wine Department, and today’s auctioneer said “We had
expected and indeed received a lot of interest from Europe and Asia in this special lot but we were delighted with the result, which set a record for a single wine lot sold by Sotheby’s in London and the second highest price for a wine lot sold at Sotheby’s.** The final price demonstrates how wines of such exceptional provenance sell for well in excess of high estimate.” This century-spanning vertical comprised 136 bottles, two from every year featured (with the exception of four vintages), from 1892 to the stupendous 2001 vintage. Among these are wonders such as 1896,
1899, 1909, 1921, 1924, 1928, 1929, 1934, 1937, 1942, 1943, 1944, 1945, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1955, 1959, 1961, 1962, 1967 and all the great wines of the modern era; not one of the bottles in this collection has ever previously surfaced from the cellars of the Château.

Serena Sutcliffe, MW, International Head of Sotheby’s Wine department, said: “Of all the great wines produced in the Sauternes region of Bordeaux, Château d’Yquem is widely acknowledged as the most splendid, a wine that seems indestructible and an unparalleled sensory experience. Renowned for its lusciousness, concentration, and longevity, it has long commanded the highest prices at auction and is pursued in today’s market by long-standing and new collectors alike.”

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The Story

The pleasure derived from tasting Yquem is difficult to describe.

It offers a myriad of well-balanced, complex flavours that generate even more harmonies over time. The impression that remains is reminiscent of a quote from Frédéric Dard "the silence that follows a piece by Mozart, in which the listener remains suffused with the music". This reflects the fact that Château d'Yquem stays on the palate for a remarkable long time, providing a unique, prolonged pleasure. There is a lovely expression in French to describe Yquem's tremendously long aftertaste: il fait la queue du paon, which means that it spreads out like a peacock's tail.

 

It is always difficult to describe wine-tasting experiences with any precision. The senses of sight, smell, taste and touch are all stimulated virtually at the same time. While gifted tasters can identify some of the aromas and flavours in a glass of Yquem in an effort to define its complexity, they never really succeed in communicating its essence or explaining its mystery. Mere analysis, whether chemical or organoleptic, is not sufficient to account for Yquem's greatness. Yquem tells a unique story... It starts with the bouquet. Although not always very outgoing in young vintages, it is marked by fruit (apricot, mandarin, and occasionally tropical fruit) and oak (vanilla and toasty aromas). Older vintages, on the other hand, have an extraordinarily complex fragrance as soon as the bottle is opened, with hints of dried fruit (dried apricot, prune, stewed fruit, and marmalade), spice (cinnamon, saffron, and liquorice), and even flowers (lime blossom, etc.). The first impression of Château d'Yquem on the palate is always very silky, and often sumptuous. It then fills out, "coating the palate". This fine wine has a strong, but never overbearing character, with great elegance and poise. It always maintains a balance between sugar and acidity (sweetness and freshness). A touch of bitterness can also contribute to the overall harmony. Château d'Yquem's aftertaste is legendary, and it tells another story, which lasts and lasts…

Certain connoisseurs consider it outrageous to drink a young Yquem and believe that opening such a monumental wine before its thirtieth birthday is tantamount to a sacrilege. Others, on the contrary, think that Yquem can be enjoyed at all stages in its life.

 

Chateau d`Yquem is often described as the greatest sweet wine in the world. After centuries of family ownership, Yquem was was bought by Louis Vuitton-Moët-Hennessy in 1999. Its former owner and director Alexandre de Lur-Saluce remains in charge. Yquem is located on the highest hill in Sauternes and enjoys the best growing conditions in the whole appellation. The 110-hectare vineyard is planted with 80% Sémillon and 20% Sauvignon Blanc. Only fully botrytized fruit is picked by the 150 highly skilled pickers and yields are so low that each vine produces only one glass of wine. Yquem is fermented in oak barrels (100% new) and is left in barriques to mature for up to 36 months. Intensely opulent when young, Yquem develops an extraordinary complexity and exotic richness when fully mature, with the best vintages lasting for over 50 years. Château d'Yquem is classified as a 1er Cru Classé supérieur.

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Wine Information

A heavy frost on the 20th of March (-6.3°C) caused major damage. The weather thereafter was very beautiful and dry until October. The harvest started at the end of September. Two rainy periods (20 mm) uniformly botrytised the whole crop. This was followed by three weeks of dry weather that allowed for two plentiful passes with very rich grapes. The quantity and degree of potential alcohol increased gradually for 13 days in a row.

 

 

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Vintage 1899

Bordeaux: Harvest began on September 24th, and ushered in an excellent vintage, with wines of very high quality. Among the most exceptional wines of the year were Ausone, Lafite Rothschild, Latour and Haut-Brion, all of which aged well into the next century, a few still going strong today. The first Bordeaux trams began running this year, and King Oscar II of Sweden and Norway visited the Médoc, signing the guest book at Château Lafite Rothschild.

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Average Bottle Price

2023 2015 2010 1995
12 850€ +46.8% 8 753€ +79.0% 4 890€ +409.4% 960€

This data comes from the FINE Auction Index, a composite of average prices for wines sold at commercial auctions in 20 countries. The average prices from each year have been collected since 1990. This chart plots the index value of the average price of the wines.

Tasting note

color

Deep, Gold and Evolved

flavors

Licorice, Toasty, Honey, Truffles, Floral and Citrus

nose

Mature, Refined, Pure and Generous

recommend

Yes

taste

High in Acidity, Low alcohol content, Medium tannin, Balanced, Concentrated, Well-structured, Mature, Full-bodied, Elegant, Fresh, Medium-Sweet and Silky tannins

Verdict

Outstanding and Well made

Written Notes

Der 1899 d'Yquem in einer Händlerabfüllung war noch so noch so vital und stimmig mit einer großartigen Aromenfülle. Kumquats, Orangenzesten, Kaffee, Mokka, dunkles Toffee, Brioche, Bittermandel, dazu mit einer hohen Säure, die ihm Frische verlieh, die Süße eher dezent. Kann man ein solches Erlebnis überhaupt bepunkten? Ich hab es mal mit strengen WT95 versucht, die aber diesem einmaligen Erlebnis nicht ansatzweise gerecht werden.

  • 95p
D 20 min / G 1 h Golden amber colour. The nose is rich with apricot marmelade, caramelized sugar, hints of smokiness and milk chocolate aromas. The palate is medium sweet, firm and vivid in structure. There is a refined botrytis character in a taste. Lively acidity, long concentrated finish with toastiness. The wine is a bit edgy but wonderfully youthful.
  • 92p
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Information

Origin

Sauternes, Bordeaux

Vintage Quality

Excellent

Investment potential

Very Good

Fake factory

Serious

Glass time

30min
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