Chateau d’Yquem 2018 375 ml, Sauternes, Bordeaux, France

Chateau d’Yquem is a Premier Cru Supérieur wine from the Sauternes, Gironde region in the southern part of the Bordeaux vineyards known as Graves. In the Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855, Chateau d’Yquem was the only Sauternes given this rating, indicating its perceived superiority and higher prices over all other wines of its type. Wines from Chateau d’Yquem are characterised by their complexity, concentration and sweetness, which is balanced by relatively high acidity. The pleasure derived from tasting Yquem is difficult to describe. It offers a myriad of well-balanced, complex flavors that generate even more harmonies over time. Chateau d’Yquem stays on the palate for a remarkable long time, providing a unique, prolonged pleasure. There is a lovely expression in French to describe Yquem’s tremendously long aftertaste: il fait la queue du paon, which means that it spreads out like a peacock’s tail. Yquem tells a unique story… It starts with the bouquet. Although not always very outgoing in young vintages, it is marked by fruit (apricot, mandarin, and occasionally tropical fruit) and oak (vanilla and toasty aromas). Older vintages, on the other hand, have an extraordinarily complex fragrance as soon as the bottle is opened, with hints of dried fruit (dried apricot, prune, stewed fruit, and marmalade), spice (cinnamon, saffron, and liquorice), and even flowers (lime blossom, etc.). The first impression of Chateau d’Yquem on the palate is always very silky, and often sumptuous. It then fills out, “coating the palate”. This fine wine has a strong, but never overbearing character, with great elegance and poise. It always maintains a balance between sugar and acidity (sweetness and freshness). Château d’Yquem’s aftertaste is legendary, and it tells another story, which lasts and lasts. 2018 vintage: 85% S3millon and 15% Sauvignon Blanc.