Chateau d'Yquem 2017

The nose shows restraint without losing the pure decadence a bottle of Yquem promises, with notes of green apple, burnt lemon peel, and ginger. The palate displays a showstopping balance and harmony that goes beyond the attainable. Of course, you have the richness one would expect, but what makes Yquem unparalleled is the elegance with which it effortlessly carries this. And what persistence –the weight, the ginger and the white flowers just go on and on. An absolute knockout.

The only Premier Cru Classe Supérieur among the wines of Bordeaux, the legendary Chateau d’Yquem in the appellation of Sauternes produces its legendary First Wine only in vintages whose quality meets the high standards of the estate. Vintages ending in “-7” have always been very successful at Chateau d'Yquem, exemplified by the historical 1947, 1997 and more recently the 2007. Undoubtedly, Yquem 2017 is no exception to this rule, in line with the “beautiful -7’s,” while also maintaining its own unique identity. Spared by the notorious frost of late April, the Chateau d'Yquem 2017 is the product of a summer with record high temperatures (the 4th hottest summer since 1897, in fact). The vineyard team could barely keep up with the natural pace of the vines. Finally, the right conditions were met for the development of Botrytis and a new race against the clock began on September 26th: to harvest the fruit at the perfect stage of ripeness, before it would over-ripen. In just 11 days, most of the vineyard was harvested. During the tasting, we were charmed by its refined bouquet of white flowers and ripe fruit. Its ample and generous texture is complemented beautifully by a certain freshness that has become a hallmark of the estate. And this is really where the unique charm of Yquem resides: in that delicate balance between richness and freshness, concentration and acidity... A balance perfectly achieved by the 2017 vintage. Once again, Yquem has managed to amaze us with the length of its palate, another distinctive feature of this great wine's identity. The finish of this 2017 Sauternes is simply remarkable. It stretches on forever, clinging to and persisting on the palate, seemingly unable to fade.