Château d'Yquem 2017

Characteristics and tasting tips for Château d’Yquem 2017

Tasting

Nose
Elegant bouquet marrying white flowers with fully ripe fruit.

Palate
Its ample, indulgent texture is swiftly lifted by the estate’s signature freshness. This is where part of Yquem’s charm lies: that exquisitely delicate balance between richness and freshness, between concentration and acidity… an exercise at which the 2017 vintage excels. Once again, Yquem amazes with the length of its finish, another hallmark of this great wine’s identity. The finish of this 2017 Sauternes impresses yet again. It stretches, lengthens, clings, and lingers, seeming never to fade.

The greatest Sauternes wine in a great sweet-wine vintage

The estate

Located south of Bordeaux, the Château d'Yquem is among the finest benchmarks of the great wines of Sauternes. This legendary Premier Cru Classé Supérieur benefits from an exceptional terroir and produces sweet wines sought after worldwide.

The vineyard

Château d’Yquem is an extraordinary place, nestled in the heart of the hills of the Sauternes appellation, with around a hundred hectares of vineyards planted on a mosaic of gravelly-sandy terroirs.

The vintage

Spared by the infamous late-April frost, Château d'Yquem 2017 benefited from an early and historically hot summer (the 4th hottest since 1897). Needless to say, the growers had no time to watch the grapes ripen, such was the vineyard’s frenetic pace. With optimal conditions for Botrytis development in place, a new race against the clock began on September 26 to harvest the berries at a perfect stage of concentration. In just 11 days the majority of the vineyard was picked, thus avoiding the risk of over-ripeness.

Blend

Sémillon and Sauvignon Blanc.