Château d’Yquem writes a new chapter in its timeless history with the 2019 vintage

Château d’Yquem is a myth, a miracle of nature, and a unique wine. Opening a bottle of Yquem means pressing pause and relishing each moment with your loved ones. It stands out from other wines because of its unique color, aromas, intensity, sweetness, and balance. In its youth and most outstanding expression, Yquem has a universal compelling power. It goes straight to the heart, soul, and senses of anyone tasting it, whether seasoned or inexperienced.

Château d’Yquem is an extraordinary place, at the very heart of Sauternes, with a hundred hectares of vineyards are planted on a mosaic of different soils. All the conditions are there to grow exceptional grapes and achieve the finest noble rot, the famous Botrytis cinerea. Through a sublimation process, the grapes reach a level a richness in taste and aromas that is simply unique in the world. Yquem preciously protects its selective harvesting secret, carried out by a team of devoted highly experienced local pickers, who have received their ancestral knowledge from the generations that came before them. Therefore, only the best grapes sublimated by Botrytis cinerea are picked, because this is the golden rule at Yquem: never look for simplification, or shortcuts, and accept the risk of losing everything. This is the price to pay to achieve excellence.

Thanks to this sorting precision, the grapes only require gentle vinification in the cellar, with minimum inputs. The aging process takes longer and adapts to the rhythm of the wine. Only the best will do: an Yquem-worth wine or nothing. For centuries, Château d’Yquem has been served at the most lavishing celebrations and for the world’s greatest figures: from Europe’s kings to Russian tsars and on to Japanese emperors. Epicureans and wine lovers have always admired the mythical nectar. The best international chefs offer Yquem in their restaurants and they even create specific dishes to match Yquem, looking for the best pairing. These restaurants are truly “lighthouses” as they radiate the lights of Yquem around the world.

Yquem’s aura reaches even beyond the cuisine arena. Indeed, it has been dear to great statesmen, such as George Washington, first president of the United States, and it was named the only “Premier Cru Classé Supérieur” during a classification process requested by Napoleon III, but it has also inspired artists. Large source of inspiration, the wine has been responsible for many emotions amongst many musicians, painters, poets, and writers. For Frédéric Dard, drinking Yquem is like “tasting sunlight”.

Yquem can be matched with any food, but the truth is Yquem doesn’t need food. It is a world of its own, to such extent that some say it is best enjoyed with a good conversation by a roaring fire in the dead of winter, or in the shadow of a tall tree, watching the sun go down behind the horizon, during a long summer day.

The 2019 vintage will be released on March 22^nd, 2022.