The Château d’Yquem 2015, sublime

What else is there to say? When it comes Château d’Yquem we are dealing with one of the world’s greatest wines and 2015 is considered to be one of the best vintages of the new millennium. While it is obviously still very young, this wine is already a delight.

In 1855 it was classified primus inter pares: nine hectoliters per hectare, in other words a glass per vine; harvests that could last months in order to achieve the right mold; a staircase leading down to the aging cellar that looks like it came out of the Ritz in Paris; and heaps of praise from celebrities the world over. Anecdotes like these about Château d’Yquem can go on forever because this is a wine that inflames the hearts of all wine lovers.

Beyond the patina, and arriving in the elegant and aloof Sauternes countryside, you realize that Château d’Yquem means work, care of the land and evolution. The estate is very large, with 130 hectares of vineyards cultivated by 50 winegrowers (who are joined by 170 pickers for the harvest) who pass their jobs and skills down generation to generation. “Each winegrower is responsible for their own parcel, which has not changed over the years, and cares for it from pruning to picking. He is responsible for the grapes that arrive at the winery. For this reason he must learn to distinguish between gray mold and noble rot, smelling and tasting it,” we are told by the very informed lady who acts as their press officer.

In recent years, Château d’Yquem has toned down the wood component and while the wine continues to mature in new barriques, it remains in them for around 20 months as opposed to up to four years in the past.

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