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  • Country ranking ?

    127
  • Producer ranking ?

    7
  • Decanting time

    4h
  • When to drink

    now to 2035
  • Food Pairing

    foie gras canapés

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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A 1929 was a very dry year that became increasingly warm as the growing season went on. It was exceedingly hot even in September, with 14 days above 30°C. The harvest was a dream – the weather was so fine there was no need to stop at any point. The only risk was that sugar levels would climb too high, and the potential alcohol bordered on 26 degrees. 29 Yquem is a monument of power, richness, and with a deep amber colour that makes this wine immediately stand out.

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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

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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Vintage 1929

The year 1929 was an extraordinary year in the vineyards of Bordeaux as well as on Wall Street. When the U.S. stock market crashed in 1929, it produced several unwanted effects abroad, especially in Europe, where many countries had not fully recovered from the aftermath of World War I. In Germany the economic disaster and the resulting social dislocation contributed to the rise of Adolf the United States there were 16 million unemployed – about a third of the available labour force.

In Bordeaux the 1929 is one of the “legendary” vintages of the century. Its reputation was made even greater as the 30s were really a catastrophic decade, and it was not until 1945 that anything of equivalent quality was made. In Bordeaux those sixteen years were one of the longest “dark periods” in the 20th century. The year of 1929 was extremely hot and dry, the driest since the beginning of the century. It only rained for a short period during the harvest, but then the fine and hot weather came back again. The grapes became very concentrated, high in tannins and produced wine to last.

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Average Bottle Price

2023 2015 2010 1995
1 750€ +10.1% 1 590€ +66.3% 956€ +95.1% 490€

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, Amber and Dark

ending

Long, Lingering and Extensive

flavors

Apricot, Honey, Nutty, Caramel and Sherry-like

nose

Intense

recommend

Yes

taste

Average in Acidity, Low alcohol content, Well-structured, Balanced, Concentrated, Mature, Medium-bodied, Focused, Round, Harmonious and Medium-Sweet

Verdict

Outstanding and Excellent

Written Notes

Wie immer der Überflieger. Dieser Wein verkörpert alles, was ein perfekter gereifter Sauternes haben muss. Auf diesem Niveau bleibt er noch Jahrzehnte. Herrlich. 

  • 100p
Recorked in 1990. Light mahogany. Had very intense nose of candied apricots and citrus peel, with fine, well-integrated and captivating noble rot. It was creamy on the palate with delicious sweetness, lots of tropical fruits, exemplary structure, impressive length and persistent and honeyed aftertaste. Magnificent example of d'Yquem, full of energy and vitality, and which should be able to last for at least 20-30 more years.
  • 97p
D 30 min / G 1.5 h Deep, brown colour. Oxidated yet lovely nose with raisiny chocolate aromas combined with walnuts, wet tobacco, and earthiness. A very intense palate is sweet with moderate acidity, burnt sugar tones, hazelnuts, and intense chocolaty flavours. Silky texture and a long finish. Lovely wine which would have rated even higher if the bottle would have not been oxidized.
  • 96p
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Information

Origin

Sauternes, Bordeaux

Vintage Quality

Outstanding

Value For Money

Good

Investment potential

Very Good

Fake factory

Serious

Glass time

3h

Drinking temperature

11

Inside Information

"Spring was fairly cool and flowering took place on an average date. This was followed by a warm, dry summer and then storms in late August and early September that brought 50 mm of rain. Noble rot developed well and the first half of the crop was very rich. Things became more complicated starting on the 9th of October when 100 mm of rain fell leaving too few windows in which to pick. So the second part of the crop not at good or as concentrated as the first."

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