x
  • Country ranking ?

    235
  • Producer ranking ?

    12
  • Decanting time

    4h
  • When to drink

    now to 2030
  • Food Pairing

    Traditional Apple Pie

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

The cool weather in spring caused a certain amount of coulure. Summer was sunny and with just enough rain in August to avoid water stress. The harvest went forth full steam ahead in three passes to avoid over-concentration and finished on the 17th of November. There were not a great many grapes, but they were very juicy. 1975 is a benchmark vintage for the 70s. It is very balanced, with great purity and underlying power.

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Vintage 1975

Bordeaux: After four miserable vintages came the hot vintage of 1975 which briefly put Bordeaux wines in the spotlight once again. The unstable temperature of September turned into good weather for the harvest. The grapes were high in sugar, but many reds, especially those made from Cabernet Sauvignon, lacked phenolic ripeness. This resulted in masculine and even aggressive reds with austere and even harsh tannins.

Wines from Graves and Pomerol turned out to be the most delicious this year. La Mission Haut-Brion and Lafleur-Pétrus stand out as the best, with Trotanoy right after them. Pétrus turned out to be very exceptional with a more aggressive and full-bodied style than usual. The Lafite-Rothschild at the reasonable price of 300 euros is the first Lafite seventies which gives a promise of improvement. On the other hand, Haut-Brion, considered very good, turned out to be a slight disappointment.

For dry whites, it was exceptional and Sauternes was an excellent vintage. The best Sauternes experiences were Yquem, Coutet, Gilette and Suduiraut.

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Average Bottle Price

2017 2016 2015 2014 2012 2010 2005 2000
587€ -12.8% 673€ +11.1% 606€ +4.1% 582€ +10.0% 529€ -13.4% 611€ +11.3% 549€ +71.6% 320€

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

33 tasting notes

Tasting note

color

Medium, Gold and Bright

ending

Long, Flavorful and Pure

flavors

Vanilla, Honey, Waxy, Licorice, Perfumed and Tropical fruits

nose

Intense, Complex, Fresh and Seductive

recommend

Yes

taste

Complex, Concentrated, Well-structured, Full-bodied, Harmonious, Rich, Elegant and Sweet

Verdict

Intelligent and Sophisticated

Written Notes

The legend delivered on cue, as the 1975 d’Yquem was extraordinary, as always. It was deep, showing more youth than maturity, but wisdom in regard to the latter. The aroma roll call was honey, caramel, nut, brulee, toast and more nut. Its palate was rich and lush with great acidity. This was still a baby, one with adult teeth that could bite into its long finish. I had a flash of 1988, but it really should have been the other way around (99).
  • 99p

 Deep gold in color, the attention seeking nose pops with roasted pineapple, ginger, butter, butterscotch, white pepper, flowers, cashews, caramel, vanilla, apricots, honey and cinnamon sugar. Intense, concentrated, weighty and yet fresh, vibrant and spicy, the mid-palate and finish resonates with seared pineapple, white pepper, orange, mango and a beguiling hint of cocoa powder that shines in the end of the finish. Drink from 2023-2075.

  • 100p

Golden with amber tints. Orange marmalade, grilled pineapples, cinnamon, touch of sultanas and raisins, superb nose. Fresh acidity, playful, rich yet graceful, pineapples, some crème brulée and a light butter scotch feel to it, creamy, pure and bright, stunning length. 99

  • 99p
Golden. Barely as concentrated and deep as 1976, and it appeared more on the light and refined side. There was strong aroma of citron, honey melon and pear, lot of sweetness and fresh acidity. It turned to be a tremendously fine and classic d'Yquem, which easily can last for at least 20 more years.
  • 97p
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Information

Origin

Sauternes, Bordeaux

Vintage Quality

Excellent

Value For Money

Very good

Investment potential

Good

Fake factory

None

Glass time

2h

Inside Information

Bordeaux Book, 3rd Edition 
Jan 1998
Robert M. Parker, Jr. 99 Drink: 2005 - 2060 $647-$2014
The 1975 may turn out to be the greatest of the modern-day Yquems. When fully mature in another 25-30 years, it may rival the extraordinary 1937 and 1921. This wine continues to evolve at a stubbornly slow pace. It is far more backward than recent vintages such as 1983 and 1986. Nevertheless, it is awesomely concentrated, has perfect balance, and displays the telltale Yquem aromas of vanillin oak, tropical fruit, pineapples, honeyed peaches, and grilled almonds. There is exceptionally crisp acidity that pulls all of the massive extract into precise focus. This is a wine of astonishing power and finesse, with a finish that must be tasted to be believed. It is a monumental effort that may well justify a perfect score in another decade. Anticipated maturity: 2005-2060. Last tasted, 1/91.
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