Ygrec

Yquem's powerful aromas and flavours go together with blue cheeses or an old Comté. To take off, you might wish to try quail, duck, or other poultry. You won't regret the trip. A glass of Y and a dish of sushi is a perfect match!

The grapes for this wine, a blend of sauvignon (75%) and sémillon (25%), were picked in a year of near-perfect growing conditions in Sauternes. The first grapes to be picked in Bordeaux in late August were extremely fresh, and the second batch of sémillon had just started to develop the precious botrytis. Blended, they created a perfectly harmonious and precise vintage.

The end of fermentation and ageing on the lees take place in barrels. Only one third of these are new, and the lees are regularly stirred (bâtonnage) for ten months.

The wine receives close attention all during fermentation: light, precise pressing as well as temperature-controlled must racking and alcoholic fermentation in a new aesthetically pleasing, state-of-the-art vat room set aside just for this wine.

In 1993 Chateau d'Yquem celebrated 400 years of ownership by the same family. In 1593 the Sauvage family bought this estate which came into the Lur Saluces patrimony when Francoise Joséphine de Sauvage married Count Louis Amédée de Lur Saluces in 1785. Marquis Bertrand de Lur Saluces was one of the 20th century's most important personalities in the world of wine. Count Alexandre de Lur Saluces has followed in his Uncle Betrand's footsteps since 1968. Highly motivated to perfect this prestigious product while respecting tradition he is determined to offer maximum quality. All those who love this inimitable wine from Jefferson to Pamela Harriman former U.S. Ambassador by way of great Duke Constantine have approved this philosophy from vintage to vintage. Yquem is the result of painstaking efforts by everyone who works on the estate. However nature is the major factor in making the most of the rare soil of Yquem.