Château d'Yquem Sauternes 2016

Château d'Yquem is the only estate ranked Premier Cru Supérieur in 1855, a botrytised Sémillon and Sauvignon Blanc from the highest hill in Sauternes.

The Sauternes appellation depends on a quirk of geography: the cold Ciron flows into the warmer Garonne just upstream, and the morning mists this produces in autumn encourage noble rot, which shrivels ripe grapes and concentrates their sugar, acid and flavour. Yquem's vineyard crowns the district on gravel and clay over limestone, drained by kilometres of nineteenth-century clay pipe. Pickers pass through the rows again and again over many weeks, selecting only berries that have rotted cleanly, so that the crop per vine is tiny. Sémillon takes around four fifths of the blend, with Sauvignon Blanc supplying acidity and aromatic lift. Fermentation and ageing take place in new oak barrel over roughly twenty months before bottling.

Enormously rich yet balanced by fresh acidity, it suits foie gras, Roquefort and poached stone fruit, and cellars for decades; serve well chilled at around 10 degrees.

*Every effort is made to ensure the current vintage is accurate; however, variations can occur. If you are after a specific vintage, please contact us prior to ordering.