A Wine That Is The Special Occasion
- 98 - 100 pts Wine Advocate98 - 100 pts RPWA
- 99 - 100 pts James Suckling99 - 100 pts JS
- 19 pts Jancis Robinson19 pts JR
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2015 Chateau d'Yquem Sauternes (375 mL) Half-Bottle
- Curated by unrivaled experts
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- Temperature controlled shipping options
- Get credited back if a wine fails to impress
A Wine That You Will Tell Stories About
This is a bottle that will make you weak in your knees. A wine so special that the mere act of opening it means that the day has now officially become a special occasion. This is a wine that you’ll tell stories about, as if drinking it was part of your personal history — like landing your first job, or watching your child take her first steps. This wine will delight you and imprint on your senses forever the taste of true perfection.
Château d’Yquem has been revered for centuries as the greatest, most collectable, and age-worthy sweet white wine in the world — a wine like liquid gold. The Château was classified as a Premier Cru Supérieur Classé in the famous 1855 classification of Bordeaux, along with Château Lafite Rothschild, Château Latour, Château Margaux, and Château Haut Brion.
But Yquem was famous long before the classification. One of the most notable visitors to the estate’s hallowed grounds in Sauternes was Thomas Jefferson in 1784. Upon return to his Monticello estate, he ordered 250 bottles of the 1784 Château d’Yquem for himself — and a few more for President Washington.
The secret to the wine is the magic that botrytis works in the vineyard. Botrytis is a benevolent fungus, which thrives in misty mornings that turn to sunny, warm afternoons. The resulting “noble rot” that takes hold of grapes works to dehydrates the berries, concentrating the sugars and enhancing the aromas and flavors with notes of ginger, marmalade, and honey.
While most vineyards are fully harvested in one pass, over the course of a few hours, harvesting fruit affected by botrytis is painstaking, backbreaking, and exacting work as the berries must be individually selected. Vineyard crews pass through each row at least six times, selectively picking individual berries and bunches until the harvest is complete.
Château d'Yquem was the greatest sweet wine in the world centuries ago, and it remains the greatest sweet wine today. It’s luscious sweet core is balanced by a supreme freshness of acidity, and offers decadent layers of apricot, peach, pineapple, and crystallized ginger, all framed with new French oak, which adds flecks of toast and vanilla, and a broad feel on the palate. This is a perfectly complete wine. A wine that will age for decades upon decades. This is the wine for a special occasion. Or for when you want to create a special occasion.