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As usual, Château d'Yquem offers great wines. At the Château, we are talking about a year of remarkable complexity where 75% of the harvest goes into the composition of Yquem. This Premier Cru Classé Supérieur of Sauternes, vintage 1970 is very qualitative.
Vintage | Wine 1970 |
Classification | Sauternes - 1er Cru Classé Supérieur |
Region | Bordeaux |
Appellation | Sauternes |
Colour | Sweet white wine |
Volume | 0.75 l |
Country | France |
Château | Château d'Yquem |
Country | France |
The Château 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.
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.
>> See all the crus classés of Sauternes classification
Saint Emilion
Margaux
Pauillac
Margaux
CHÂTEAU LEOVILLE LAS CASES 1970
Saint Julien
Haut Medoc
Pessac Leognan
Saint Estèphe
Saint Julien
(05-2014) Copper color. Fruity and smoky nose. Fruity mouth, a little syrupy, then tasty, evolving on more complex notes of butter and honey on the finish.
(11-2017)
(12-2003) First tasted in December 2003 at home. A bright orange hue. A deep marmalade nose with touch of orange peel, but lacking the usual d'Yquem joie-de-vivre. A little too simplistic for my liking, similarly the palate lacks the exuberance I expected. Moderate botrytis, balanced but not sophisticated. Quite citrus with marmalade and quince. A bit foursquare. I think I preferred the Doisy-Vedrines 1970 to this!
Slightly better at CECWINE's Yquem vertical in November 2004. A light colour to the 71 with a distinctly Sauvignon Blanc fuelled nose (hence the gooseberry note). Mineral and quince. The palate is soft and quite sensuous with lower acidity than the Yquem 1971. Clementine, apricot with raisin and fig dominating the finish. This has more harmony that the bottle at Xmas but is still lacks joie-de-vivre.