Yquem Half 1997
Duty Paid
£210.00
Skip to product information
34
left
Yquem Half 1997
HED82003
37.5 cl
14%
£210.00
Taxes included.
Pay ex-VAT when shipping outside the UK
- Order by 2PM for same-day dispatch.
Château d’Yquem is a Premier Cru Supérieur Classé property in Sauternes, widely regarded as the greatest producer of sweet wine in the region – perhaps even the world. Whilst not a blockbuster vintage, the 1997 is a charming and incredibly pleasurable wine of seamless balance and wonderful freshness. Château d’Yquem tends to need around 20 years of cellaring for the oak to begin to integrate fully and this is beginning to really hit its stride. Presented here in half-bottles.
93 Vinous
The 1997 Yquem comes from a season that witnessed the earliest-ever flowering (5 May) and an early picking that began on 4 September, though botrytis failed to develop, necessitating seven tries through the vineyard over 32 days of picking that lasted until 4 November. One aspect to note is how deep in colour this is compared to the 2003 that Sandrine Garbay served alongside. The nose offers marmalade and quince, hints of yellow plum and honey, not quite as precise as the previous bottle that I tasted in May the previous year, though it displays less of that adhesive trait. The palate has a lovely piquancy, very tangy with driving marmalade and Seville orange notes. The 5g/L of total acidity maintains the tension of the 1997, though maybe it is a little more evolved than I might have expected. Still, it remains a magnificent Yquem that will last many decades. Tasted from ex-château bottle in London.
18 Jancis Robinson
13.9%,120 RS g/l, TA 4.8. Started picking very early on 4 Sep right through to 4 Nov. No rain and the botrytis was very slow. Only morning mist rather than rain, 32 days of picking made for a complex blend. Seven waves of picking. 200 pickers over 32 days to show the right concentration of grapes was a very complex operation. Darkening coppery gold. Some mushrooms on the nose. An element of something almost metallic on the palate. Real grace in terms of structure but the flavour is not quite as pure as I would have expected. Very chewy on the finish, not quite as clean as the others. (JR)
You may also like
