Visit to Ch. d'Yquem (2005/4/3/2/1)

[AlexR]

I was fortunate enough to attend a vertical tasting of Yquem today at the château with my Danish friend, wine writer Izak Litwar.

The tasting was tutored by cellarmaster Sandrine Gabray. Sandrine has worked at Yquem since 1994, and been in charge of the cellars since 1998.

We started out with 2006 Y (pronounced "e-grek").
The label changed starting with this vintage. The new one is very classy: embossed, with an enormous, but tasteful "Y" and a silvery gold capsule.

Sandrine gave us some background to this wine, which dates back to 1959. For a start, "Y" was not made in every vintage in the past (for instance, there was no 2003 or 2001). However, the policy has changed, and there will be an Y every year from now on, with an average annual production of 10,000 bottles. The grapes do not come from any specific part of the vineyard.

Furthermore, there has been a shift in winemaking. The former blend was half Sauvignon Blanc and half Sémillon, but this has been changed to 60% S.B. and 40% Sémillon to make the wine a little more aromatic. Also, Sandrine said that the clay soil found in many plots is not ideal for Sémillon (producing more bitterness than desired in the dry wine).
Y is now less alcoholic than in the past, is aged in 30% new oak (as compared to 100% previously), and barrel aging lasts less long (24 to 30 months versus up to 40 months).
The grapes are picked 2 weeks after ripeness (physiological maturity).

2006 Y
Color: brilliant with light chartreuse highlights
Nose: restrained, subtle lemongrass
Palate: fine and steely, with a heavy mouth feel and a slight kiss of sweetness on the finish (10 g/l residual sugar)
An altogether understated wine that will be good young or old.

As for the tasting of Yquem, the color of all 5 wines was virtually identical. We stopped and stared, but there was practically no difference.

2005 Yquem
Nose: smell of the aging cellar (wine & wood vapors) with hints of acacia. Relatively closed-in at present.
Palate: plush, tight, fresh, and honeyed. Hints of quince. Medium body and medium-long aftertaste.
An infant showing very promising signs.

2004 Yquem
Nose: soft, with great purity, pineapple, beeswax, jujube and (very subjective) smell of church, but without the mustiness…
Palate: good acid backbone, with an interesting flip-flop from acidity into roundness and then into acidity again on the finish. This should not imply that the wine is not round, because it is, and quite sensual.
Half a normal crop and careful selection resulted in a very fine wine. This was the big surprise of the tasting to me. Delicious.

2003 Yquem
Nose: bursting with botrytis, dried fruit (figs), candied fruit – powerful, complex, seductive, all one could hope for…
Palate: big, opulent, voluptuous, but somehow restrained and under control, and not so much cloying as concentrated. Despite the volume of flavor and richness, tremendous balance and extremely long aftertaste with earthy, mineral notes.
The earliest harvest in Yquem's history took just 9 days to pick. They resisted the temptation to go in for anything top-heavy. If there is a heaven, this is surely on tap.

2002 Yquem
Nose: much more ethereal, displaying the characteristics of Yquem in a minor chord, with a slight smokiness and overtones of beeswax.
Palate: Not as strong on the middle palate nor as weighty as the others. Pear and apple flavours. The vibrant acidity ensures that this wine will age well, and it is an Yquem that would be best with at table, but certainly not with dessert.
Very long, mineral aftertaste to accompany the sweetness.

2001 Yquem:
Nose: There were reductive notes to begin with, but these dissipated over time to reveal a powerful bouquet with spirity aspects. Hints of gooseberry jam. I'm sure that the bouquet hides many more things that would come out with further aeration.
Palate: complex, concentrated, and sensual with a touch of menthol. Tremendous tension that holds everything together. Heavy botrytization. Aftertaste of enormous length with a fascinating balance between sweetness and bitterness on the finish. This is one for the very long haul. The overall impression is of depth. A monument.

Sandrine's heart goes out to the 2001, which she sees as the best vintage in her 15 years at Yquem. While I see the enormous depth and potential there, my own preference went to the 2003. Perhaps I need to try them both together in another 30 years or so!

Best regards,
Alex R.

[JimHow]

Great report Alex. It is interesting that you say the colors are nearly identical, the 2002s in my cellar seems much lighter colored than the 1997s and 1995s.

[ChrisW]

Dear Alex,

Thanks for the report. This must have been a great tasting.

Would you buy any of these wines based on this tasting? I own only two vintages of d' Yquem (1990 and 1997) and must say that I find it hard to justify the costs compared to other great wines in Sauternes/Barsac. Several weeks ago I opened one of the bottles of the 1997 d' Yquem and it was at that occassion clearly outperformed by a bottle of Raymond Lafon 2001.

Kindest regards,

ChrisW

[DavidG]

Great report Alex. Sandrine was the woman who conducted the tour for the BWE gang in '05, and I think Francois was a bit smitten by her.

I've never had an Y. Didn't realize it had a little residual sweetness - it's not really a dessert wine though, is it? How much does it cost?

I'm not that surprised that the color of the wines was the same - they only spanned 4 years, and all had been resting on-site at the Chateau.