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Chateau d'Yquem

Chateau d'Yquem dominates the Sauternais. It dominates the local landscape; situated near the peak at the centre of the southern half of the appellation it is visible for miles, with a fine view of near neighbours Lafaurie Peyraguey, Guiraud and Rieussec, just a few of the other chateaux which surround the estate. It dominates the 1855 classification of Sauternes and Barsac, sitting pretty in its own private ranking of Premier Cru Supérieur. And it dominates in terms of price; the wines of Chateau d'Yquem are several times as expensive as those of its neighbours.

Yquem once belonged to Eleanor, Duchess of Aquitaine, the property being just part of her extensive holdings. It was brought under the dominion of the French crown in 1137 by her marriage to Prince Louis Capet, soon to be King Louis VII of France. This marriage lasted fifteen years, ending with an annulment by Pope Eugène III on the grounds of adultery. This left Eleanor free to marry Henri Plantagenet, who became King Henry II of England in 1154. And so Chateau d'Yquem was, until the end of the Hundred Years War in 1453, a most royal and British estate.

Back under French control, Chateau d'Yquem came into the hands of the Sauvage d'Yquem family in 1593, who had sole ownership until the 18th Century. During their tenure they oversaw extensive modifications to the Medieval structure, adding suitable fortifications and a chapel wing in the 16th Century, and a north wing containing the main reception rooms in the 17th Century. It was also during this time that the reputation of the wine of Chateau d'Yquem was established. In 1785 they teamed up with the Lur-Saluces family of Chateau de Fargues, the two clans brought together by the marriage of Françoise-Josephine Sauvage d'Yquem with Comte Louis Amédée de Lur-Saluces. As with all such grand families the French Revolution in the late 18th Century saw them lose everything, although in this case not their heads. And so Françoise-Josephine was later able to regain control of what had been taken away; she continued to build up the estate, and was responsible for the construction of a new wine cellar in 1826. When she died in 1851 her son, Marquis Antoine-Marie de Lur-Saluces, inherited the estate. He married Marie-Geneviève, the daughter of Gabriel-Barthélémy-Romain de Filhot and owner of Chateaux Filhot & Coutet. The estate continued to be passed down through the generations of the Lur-Saluces family, coming next to their son, Romain Bertrand. Bertrand continued the development of Yquem, installing an impressive network of terracotta field drains in the 19th Century. With his death Chateau d'Yquem passed to his son, Amédée, and thence to the latter's nephew, Bertrand de Lur-Saluces.

Bertrand de Lur-Saluces steered Chateau d'Yquem through difficult times with great skill. He is an important figure not just in the history of Yquem, but also in the history of all Bordeaux. With colleagues he founded not only the Bordeaux Académie du Vin but also the Conseil Interprofessionel du Vin de Bordeaux, today the region's official promotional body, and was president of the Union des Syndicats de Sauternes. After the Great War, when the buildings at Chateau d'Yquem had served as a field hospital, he was responsible for instituting chateau-bottling, and he was also responsible for the introduction of Y (pronounced ygrec in French), Chateau d'Yquem's dry white wine, a natural path to follow when the popularity of sweet wines faded in the mid-20th Century. For many years it seemed, as Marquis Bertrand provided no heir to inherit the estate, that his nephew Baron Louis Hainguerlot would take control with Bertrand's inevitable passing. Baron Louis moved to Bordeaux in 1957 and initially lived with Bertrand at his house in Bordeaux, and thereafter in the chateau at Yquem; having studied oenology it seemed he would be a natural successor. But in 1963 it seems that some dispute between the two came to a head, although the exact details of the disagreement are not clear. Baron Louis left Yquem and Sauternes, and Bertrand turned to another nephew, Alexandre de Lur-Saluces.

In 1968, within a year of Alexandre moving to Bordeaux, Bertrand died, and from that point on Alexandre was in charge of the greatest estate in Sauternes. Largely his tenure was a success; the business prospered and became profitable. There were conflicts and troubles along the way, however, and these came to a head at the end of the 20th Century, when Alexandre de Lur-Saluces finally lost control of the estate. The method was not overtly feudal as in ancient times, but it was hostile. Numerous family members, including Alexandre's older brother Eugène and many of the Hainguerlots sold all or at least a portion of their shares, leaving Alexandre in a minority position; the result was that Bernard Arnault, as head of the luxury goods group LVMH, gained a majority among the shareholders. All did not seem lost, however, as Comte Alexandre was allowed to stay on, so a Lur-Saluces still held the reins at d'Yquem. But this was not for long; in 2004 Alexandre was put out to pasture and Pierre Lurton, MD at Chateau Cheval-Blanc (another LVMH property) took the reins. And so ended an impressive tenure for the Lur-Saluces family, as sole caretakers of this great family-owned Bordeaux estate. Lurton obviously wasn't going to take a back seat; one of his first actions was to command the release of the 1999 vintage at what might be considered a bargain price, an action that preceded the release of the much heralded 2001 vintage, dripping with points, at over £2000 per case, the most expensive Yquem ever (having tasted it, I can understand the fuss). And he has also brought the release of Chateau d'Yquem into line with much of the rest of Bordeaux, putting subsequent vintages onto the market with the rest of the Sauternes properties during the en primeur scramble.

The vineyards at d'Yquem total 113 ha in all, although only 100 ha are in production at any one time. This allows for grubbing up of elderly vines and replanting following a year when the plot is left fallow. The mix in the vineyard is 80% Semillon and 20% Sauvignon Blanc, with none of the permitted Muscadelle. The soils are variable, unsurprising for such a large estate, but there is much clay which necessitated the installation of the aforementioned field drains. Harvest is by hand in several tries, obviously, with yields typically 9 hl/ha. Fermentation is in oak, followed by typically three years in barrel, with a racking every three months. As mentioned above, in addition to the grand vin there is the a dry white Y; this now has an increasing proportion of Sauvignon, although it was once a 50/50 blend. It spends a year in oak with regular bâtonnage. It is quite a distinctive wine, being powerful and bone dry, but with botrytis character to be found on nose and palate.

Chateau d'Yquem is certainly a special estate, ranking among the top white vineyards of France, as documented by Curnonsky (1872 - 1956), along with Le Montrachet (Burgundy), Chateau Chalon (Jura), Chateau Grillet (Rhône) and Clos de la Coulee de Serrant (Loire). But Yquem's fame rests not just on this one observer; it has long attracted famous names, notably American ambassador Thomas Jefferson - a well known lover of France's wines - who ordered several hundred bottles of the 1784, as well as securing some 1787 for George Washington. And suitable homage is paid in written word, from Alexandre Dumas, Marcel Proust and Jules Verne among others. Yquem is, it seems, history, poetry, perhaps life itself rolled into a wine and bottled. Yet I confess on my first significant exposure to Chateau d'Yquem I failed to comprehend this wine's exalted reputation; it seemed to me that I had experienced many other more characterful, more voluptuous, more thrilling wines, and I was left in a state of bemusement. But more recently I have seen the light. Like many great wines, Yquem's reputation rests not on a flashy style, but rather a fabulous elegance and poise; these are Sauternes that can dance lightfoot across the palate when young, and in doing so display the structure that will enable long ageing in the cellar. Quite simply, these are - in some vintages at least - fabulous wines. (5/1/05, last updated 26/9/06)

Contact details:
Address: Chateau d'Yquem, 33210 Sauternes
Telephone: +33 (0) 5 57 98 07 07
Fax +33 (0) 5 57 98 07 08
Internet: www.chateau-yquem.fr

Chateau d'Yquem - Tasting Notes

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Chateau d'Yquem (Sauternes) 2008: This has an intense and rich nose, filled with vibrant, juicy citrus fruit. There is a fabulous but exotic purity to it, with peach, mango and pineapple flavours, alongside vanilla and flower petals too. Pure, with an almost gritty structure, this has linearity and finesse combined. A bright and elegant wine, brilliantly styled, with obvious depth, something missing in the rest of the appellation this year. Very, very long. Wonderful. From my 2008 Bordeaux en primeur assessment. 18-19+/20 (April 2009)

Chateau d’Yquem 'Y' (Bordeaux) 2005: Ygrec is Yquem's dry wine. An attractive, straw-gold hue. The nose has an amazing presence, the aromas leaping out of the glass and easily detectable even without lifting the glass from the table. It has a delightful character, putting on a powerful and rich display of dried and candied fruits, with notes of smoke, ash and a herby complexity alongside. Overtly dry on the palate despite this exuberance, and as is typical of the 2005 vintage it doesn't show a lot of acidity. But it has a lot of grip, force and structure nevertheless. There is a little brightness to it, so it remains fresh even though there is still a wealth of spice and oak here. Impressive wine and it appeals despite the lack of defining acidity thanks to the other structural elements. From a tasting with Pierre Lurton. 18/20 (June 2008)

Chateau d'Yquem (Sauternes) 2002: A finely delineated nose if such a thing is possible, demonstrating a sweet and grainy acacia honey aroma. On the palate it has a ripe, rounded, expansive texture and a lovely depth, but with a precise, impeccable balance. This carries the wine across the palate, rather than enveloping it in a bath of luscious, honeyed texture, remaining poised, slightly detached, but fabulously elegant. This has a very fine style. Compared to the 2001, a lesser wine, but it still demonstrates the marvellous poise and structure that says this will last for decades in the cellar. Excellent. 18.5+/20 (April 2006)

Chateau d’Yquem 'Y' (Bordeaux) 2002: Usually harvested the first week of September. Spends two years in oak, 100% new. No bâtonnage. A gradually increasing proportion of Sauvignon over Semillon in more recent vintages. A very pale lemon-gold. Lovely nose; depth and interest indeed. Smoky, mineral, with gentle white fruit suggesting creaminess. Dry, elegant, balanced palate with good depth of flavour. Very firm, building concentration through the midpalate. Lovely weight. Very good indeed. 17.5/20 (November 2004)

Chateau d'Yquem (Sauternes) 2001: For young Yquem this is a remarkably obvious, open and expressive wine, showing plenty of character on the nose, with an appreciable depth of botrytis too. Rather dense and concentrated on the palate, with great depth, yet this is clearly a tightly coiled wine that will need a long time to show its true and full potential. Nevertheless, at present it offers up plenty of barley sugar and floral sweetness framed by a fine acidity. The palate gradually unfolds with time, fanning out, with a reserved elegance that belies a wonderfully balanced structure. This has great finesse, and will undoubtedly age beautifully; its future will be measured in aeons of cellar time rather than mere years. Outstanding. There are more notes from this vintage in my 2001 Sauternes assessment. 19.5+/20 (April 2006)

Chateau d’Yquem (Sauternes) 1999: Above average temperatures. Storms in July. Harvest began September 24th with intermittent rain. A moderately pale lemon-gold. A simple nose; just some candied fruit. Somebody overlooked the need for botrytis in this vintage. Sweet palate, moderate concentration, but no great depth. Lacks botrytis character and the complexity that would ensue. Good finish and length though. Now it is apparent why this vintage was released at such a low price, but perhaps it will develop in bottle. 14.5+/20 (November 2004)

Chateau d’Yquem (Sauternes) 1998: Above average temperatures. Wet September, harvest began on the 22nd. Then several weeks of rain before completion in October. Lots of botrytis in the second portion. A decent lemon-gold. Showing some botrytis on the nose. Greater complexity immediately apparent. More serious wine than the 1999, for certain. Rich, oily, very concentrated. Candied fruit again, the Noble rot not showing here as on the nose. Good depth and interest though, orange and apricot flavour, and well balanced acidity. This will improve I am sure. A good wine from what is an under-rated vintage. 16+/20 (November 2004)

Chateau d'Yquem (Sauternes) 1997: This wine has a rich, golden hue, as might be expected! The nose is just fabulous; there is evident richness here, in the shape of some smoky botrytis, but what really sets the wine apart is the beautiful, crystal-like clarity it possesses. This characteristic carries through on the palate, which has a fine, cool purity and freshness, presented in a seemingly paradoxical fashion, as it is intertwined with great richness and a creamy vanilla seam which opens out, broadening across the palate. Wow! An amazing texture, with bright botrytis flavour and high quality candied fruits. I think this is an exquisite wine, and the lingering flavour affords plenty of time to reflect on this. And it will go for years yet. I find this much more impressive than my previous tasting in November 2004. From a tasting with Pierre Lurton. 19.5+/20 (June 2008)

Chateau d’Yquem (Sauternes) 1997: A hot vintage, with slow onset of botrytis. Earliest recorded harvest, on September 4th. Six tries, with better botrytis later on. Showing a good, more golden hue. This is more like it; and expressive and impressive nose, with ripe, crystalline honey fruit and loads of botrytis character. Pure, impressive, balanced. This has lovely poise and is quite delicious. Creamy-oily texture but not over-the-top, tremendously rich finish and a great length. Correct acidity. A big, structured, yet seductive wine; this will go for decades. 18+/20 (November 2004)

Chateau d'Yquem (Sauternes) 1996: Dense, fairly well concentrated, with an evocative nose, and a fine spine of acidity. There is good botrytis character here too, as well as a little residual oak. Full, creamy, rather light-footed and delicate, but this gives a nice balance based on that fine and firm acidity. It has elegance, and a very good length. Whilst not a great Yquem, it is certainly very fine for the vintage. I think my last score may have been a little harsh, although that time it was lined up against a number of superior vintages, including the 1997 and 1990. From a Bordeaux tasting with Bibendum. 16.5+/20 (April 2007)

Chateau d’Yquem (Sauternes) 1996: Average temperatures. Dry September, late botrytis. A moderate gold colour – but not the depth of the other vintages on show. Smoky white fruits, showing good depth of mature fruit aroma, and some good quince notes, but little botrytis otherwise. Full, sweet, maturing fruit. There is a mineral depth that adds interest here, and although botrytis character is subtle I like it more than other 1996s I have tasted. I like this, taking into account the weak vintage for Sauternes. 15.5/20 (November 2004)

Chateau d’Yquem (Sauternes) 1994: A wet start but a warm summer. Wet harvest though. A moderate gold hue. A slightly smoky nose, with some depth. Not great richness here – in fact pretty light on the palate. It has some botrytis-related sweetness though, as well as depth and interest. But it lacks impact on the palate. Also a short finish. Not a success at all. 15/20 (November 2004)

Chateau d’Yquem (Sauternes) 1991: A devastating Spring frost. Hot summer. Some rain at harvest. A mid-gold, like the 1994. Some plain deterioration in condition here. A certain hint of Madeirisation on the nose – it adds interest, I suppose. Sweet, very light, disjointed. A dry hollowness comes through on the midpalate and finish. Definite salty, fishy notes too. This is on the way downhill for sure; possibly a weak cork has done for this bottle, but in the context of the vintage I do wonder whether this might be a global problem. 12/20 (November 2004)

Chateau d’Yquem (Sauternes) 1990: A hot, dry vintage. Four tries. A little pale compared to the other older vintages – a good sign, perhaps? But there is obvious volatile acidity on the nose, with delicate ripe white fruits behind it. This is surprising in view of the vintage, although with time the nose builds intensity to show orange and apricot notes. Another bottle assessed, however, was much cleaner with no VA. Full, rich, balanced, slightly oily palate. Peaches and apricots. Lovely, with elegance alongside the richness. This is very stylish once you get past the volatility, and there is potential here too. I suspect it would cellar for decades. 18+/20 (November 2004)

Chateau d'Yquem (Sauternes) 1988: A great Sauternes vintage I think. Another rich and deeply coloured wine, and there is no less impact on the nose, which shows a great, intense, concentrated pile of sweet fruit. On the palate, plenty of flesh, plenty of texture, this is a wine absolutely loaded with character but also showing great freshness and style. There is fabulous depth here, and this wine although divine in its composition now, another fine balance of rich sweetness and acidity, it has a huge amount of potential for the future. Truly remarkable. I find this much more impressive than my previous tasting in November 2004. From a tasting with Pierre Lurton. 19.5+/20 (June 2008)

Chateau d’Yquem (Sauternes) 1988: Dry summer, harvest from September 25th. Good botrytis. Six tries. A rich golden wine. Good character on the nose. Quince and toasty lemon curd botrytis. Dense, complex, although also marred by a little volatile acidity. A rich, oily, massive palate. A spicy grip with some tannin apparent, and a silky texture. This is a wine still on the way up, with plenty to offer yet, but you have to hope the VA doesn’t become a real problem. Needs 5-10 years. 17.5+/20 (November 2004)

Chateau d’Yquem (Sauternes) 1986: A cool and wet summer. Late harvest, from October 6th. Misty September. Five tries. A deep, burnished gold. The first bottle was, sadly, corked. A second bottle fared little better, with musty, salty iodine notes, with a similar character on the palate. Neither bottle was in decent condition. I didn’t bother trying a third. A great shame as this is a great vintage for the region. No score. (November 2004)