Lot presentation

Château d' Yquem 1er Cru Classé Supérieur 1996

The wine

Yquem… Is there a more renowned name in the wine world and in the realm of meditation grands crus? After all, it has a long history, dating back almost 400 years. This wine is produced from around a hundred hectares of the 113 hectares owned by the property. The majority of which are planted with Semillon (75%), supplemented by Sauvignon Blanc. With the vines growing close to the Ciron, a tributary of the Garonne, conditions are perfect for noble rot to develop. The grapes are meticulously hand-picked in successive stages once the noble rot has set in before being skilfully vinified, including almost two years’ maturing in barrels. This superb wine reveals aromas of peach, pineapple, coconut, nutmeg and cinnamon, supported by hints of toast, caramel and vanilla imparted by the new oak. With their extraordinary complexity and concentration, Yquem wines offer outstanding ageing potential. Guitry once said that ‘after Mozart, the silence that followed was still Mozart’. ‘After a sip of Yquem, the moments that follow are still Yquem.' (Frédéric Dard).

About the Producer Château d'Yquem

Deemed the world's greatest white wine, Château d'Yquem is located on a small hill and benefits from an exceptional micro-climate and terroir. The vineyard encompasses no fewer than 150 plots of different soil, and is pampered throughout the year, with each individual vine undergoing an average of 50 different treatments per year. The selection process at Château d'Yquem is particularly stringent, with a local saying holding that a single vine makes a single glass of wine. Harvesting involves a minimum of four different passes (seven passes took place in 1997!) in order to ensure the grapes harvested have reached perfect maturity and have been affected by noble rot. Time is taken with every step of the vinification and ageing processes. The wine spends up to 20 months ageing in new barrels.
The estate also produces a dry white called Y d'Yquem from grapes that are free from noble rot. In some years, the entire harvest is de-classified (there was no wine produced in 1910, 1915, 1930, 1951, 1952, 1964, 1972, 1974, 1992 and 2012). Since 2022, the property has held organic certification (AB/ Eurofeuille).

Detailed characteristics