x
  • Country ranking ?

    1 334
  • Producer ranking ?

    80
  • Decanting time

    2h
  • When to drink

    now to 2040
  • Food Pairing

    foie gras

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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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

In 1900 poor weather in April foretold a late start to the growth cycle, but the weather improved, becoming warm and dry. There was every indication of great potential, both in terms of quality and quantity. The first pass was on the 20th of September, before 68 mm of rain arrived and produced widespread botrytisation. This was followed by 4 weeks (26 days) of uninterrupted picking of extremely sweet grapes. The average yield was greater than 20 hl/ha. A vintage reminiscent of 1893, which was very great indeed.

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Vintage 1900

The legendary 1900 ! The century began with an extraordinary harvest both in terms of quantity and quality. 1900 is firstly a record volume of wine, which was equalled only in 1982 ! There had been several bumper years previously, in 1896 and 1893. 1900 though, was legendary for its quality ! Despite the huge volume, this wine was of a power and concentration that have rarely been matched. This vintage aroused immediate excitement and eclipsed the fantastic 1899  by Château Margaux:

Weather
A wonderful year, which benefited from a very hot summer as well as very fine weather during the harvest. (Picking began 24th September)

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Average Bottle Price

2023 2017 2014 2010 2005 2000 1995
8 950€ +24.1% 7 211€ +9.4% 6 590€ +19.4% 5 521€ +19.3% 4 628€ +297.3% 1 165€ +30.5% 893€

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.

Latest Pro-tasting notes

20 tasting notes

Tasting note

color

Deep and Gold

ending

Endless, Spicy and Flavorful

flavors

Honey, Apricot and Creamy

nose

Complex

recommend

Yes

taste

Low alcohol content, Medium tannin, Complex, Balanced, Concentrated, Full-bodied, Firm, Harmonious, Rich and Sweet

Written Notes

Of course, we had to have some dessert wines.  We may not have been able to see straight, but we could still taste.  The oldest wine of the weekend, the 1884 Yquem was corked despite being reconditioned at the Chateau in 1989.  Tant pis (DQ).  The 1890 Yquem was rich and full of nougat and caramel like a perfect Milky Way candy bar.  This had nuts and spice and everything nice (93).  The 1900 Yquem was a WOW wine.  It was rich and decadent on the palate with caramel and candle wax flavors, and an intense slate minerality.  It was still young, but oh so good (97).

  • 97p
Château d´Yquem 1900/ Very old-looking bottle with no label, but the colour and level were very promising. Original cork and capsule. Decanted 1 hour. Dark, brown but bright colour. Fabulously rich, floral and creamy, sound bouquet. Very sweet,fat and concentrated. In spite of its admirable age, it was filled with jammy fruit so that it sparkles, with bags of fruit exploding in the mouth. Good balance and structure. Elegant and smooth, yet quite powerful and warm with good acidity. This 1900 offered everything this great vintage is famous for!
  • 97p
D'Yquem demonstrated power and elegance, those subtle smell of fresh orange fruits together with old wooden instruments of honeyman- perfect complexity being sweet but still with acidity and unbelievably "yquemish" with profound spiciness through the long long finish.
  • 98p
Yquem 1900/ A lightweight beautifully balanced Yquem. Just what I like in a Sauternes. Much nicer than the powerful, “burnt sugar” vintages like 1937. 97 pts.
  • 97p
N: spice P: nicely balanced, fresh acidity, charmer, luscious In a nutshell: another great 1900 Final verdict: Holding well- everything
  • 97p
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Information

Origin

Sauternes, Bordeaux

Vintage Quality

Outstanding

Value For Money

Very good

Investment potential

Good

Fake factory

Serious

Glass time

2h
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