95-100 / 100
Noncontractual photographs
Vintage | 1976 |
Rating | 95-100 |
Classification | Sauternes - 1er Cru Classé Supérieur |
Region | Bordeaux |
Appellation | Sauternes |
Colour | Sweet white wine |
Volume | 0.75 l |
Price | More than 300 € |
New | yes |
Château | Yquem (d') |
Country | France |
The Chateau d'Yquem is an area of 133 hectares including 113 hectares of vineyards, 102 acres operated, south of Bordeaux in Sauternes region that produces a sweet white wine ranked Premier Cru Superior, the only wine from the Sauternes category. It is considered by many as the best Sauternes. The yield is only 6 hectoliters per hectare and in some years, if the quality is not deemed sufficient, the bottles are not sold under this label. In autumn, morning mists and sunny afternoons allow the noble rot to develop. The harvest is extended over a long period of time during which the grapes are harvested by hand, individually. . The wines are characterized by their complexity due to a significant amount of residual sugar and flavorings made by Botrytis cinerea. A relatively high acidity helps offset the sweetness. Another characteristic for which Château d'Yquem is known is his longevity. In good years does present a bottle of his outstanding after one or two decades in a cellar and with care it will keep for a century or more, adding to the complexity... Since 1959 Chateau d'Yquem produces a dry white wine named "Y" (and before 2004 "Y Lur-Saluces") makes an equal proportion of Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc. This wine, like great wine is not produced every year. The 2005 vintage was the first vintage of Yquem offered for sale en primeur. .
Pauillac
Pauillac
Pauillac
Saint Emilion
DOM RUINART Blanc de Blancs 1976
Champagne
Haut Medoc
Margaux
CAPITAIN GAGNEROT Les Guillandes 1976
Côte de Nuits Villages
CHÂTEAU LEOVILLE LAS CASES 1976
Saint Julien
Le vin est concentré et équilibré avec une parfaite sucrosité de sucre candi. On trouve aussi de la noix, de la menthe et un peu d'humus en finale. L'acidité est bien présente, mais le vin est rond et velouté du début à la fin.
This is silky and beautifully creamy in the mouth. Medium-bodied, there's nothing heavy or big here, just a sense of harmony. So ethereal, it's the sort of wine one could drink almost every night.
The 1976 Yquem continues to go from strength to strength. Who can ignore the awesome bouquet of spices, honeyed fruit, pineapples, bananas, coconuts, and overripe melons? This full-bodied, viscous, luscious wine has been absolutely delicious since bottling, given its relatively low acidity and precocious personality. It is one of the few true great vintages of Yquem that can actually be drunk with tremendous pleasure at such a young age. Eighty percent of the harvest made it into the final wine.
Sheer perfection : creamy, honeyed, orange blossom bouquet of impenetrable depth; rich, perfect, weight, flavour, balance and lenght, with another 20 years to go.