Château d'Yquem 2013 - 1er Cru Classé Supérieur (37,5 cl)
Bordeaux
White
Sold individually
Drink or Keep
19,5/20
Bettane & Desseauve
-
98/100
Wine Spectator
-
98-99/100
James Suckling
-
95-97/100
Robert Parker
-
19/20
RVF
-
19+/20
Jancis Robinson
"Completely refined by its ageing, this wine touches the sublime with its flavor, texture and inimitable blend of opulence and freshness. It's hard to imagine a more perfect expression of this fine vintage in Sauternes". (Le Guide Bettane & Desseauve) -
Features
Estate
Château d'Yquem
Cuvée
1er Cru Classé Supérieur (37,5 cl)
Vintage
2013
Designation
Sauternes
Region
Bordeaux
Grape varieties
70% Sémillon, 30% Sauvignon
Terroirs
Soil covered with coarse gravel pebbles
Viticulture
Traditional and meticulous
Harvest
Manual, several selections over 1 month, on botrytized grapes
Winemaking
Pressing is carried out taking into account the texture and fragility of the berries. Three to four pressings are carried out. Unlike other white wines, the sugar content of the juice and its quality increase with each pressing. Fermentation in new merrain oak barrels.
Breeding
3 years in barrels
Tasting & pairing
Eye
Attractive light golden colour
Nose
Fragrant and expressive, with aromas of orange marmalade and generous, fresh notes of pineapple, white peach, nectarine and apricot.
Mouth
Deep, complex and elegant. Smooth, rich attack, exotic, honeyed aromas, mentholated notes. Superb sweetness supported by clean, precise acidity. Beautiful balance without any heaviness, a masterful expression of freshness and purity.
Serve
AT 8-10°C
Open
1 hour before
Drink from
2019
Drink before
2041 and more
Food and wine pairing
Enjoy with foie gras, fine fish in sauce, desserts...
Château d'Yquem
Sauternes
Expert opinion
Bettane & Desseauve
Rated 19.5/20 (Wine of exceptional quality)
Domaine rated (guide 2022) 5*Stars (Exceptional producers, those who represent the absolute pinnacle of quality in France and the world)
About the wine:
Completely refined by ageing, this wine is sublime in flavor, texture and that inimitable blend of opulence and freshness. It's hard to imagine a more perfect expression of this fine Sauternes vintage.
About the domain :
Yquem enjoys a unique status in Bordeaux production, virtually beyond critical judgment. The hundred or so hectares farmed are divided between Semillon and Sauvignon, on gravelly hilltops with a more clayey subsoil. There are no small or even average vintages for this cru, which is uncompromising. In fact, the 2012 vintage was not produced, as the quality was not deemed high enough for the cru. The LVMH group (which took it over in 1999 with Pierre Lurton at the helm, having arrived in 2004), like the Lur-Saluces family (now at Château de Fargues), can't even imagine the possibility of taking the easy way out! Now more than ever, Yquem has earned its place as the Premier des Premiers vins du Sauternais. The arrival of Sauvignon in the blends, the flexible adaptation of ageing to the nature of the vintage, and of course a unique agronomic know-how make each vintage an even more precise and balanced feast than in previous decades, satisfying both our senses and our intelligence.
Guide Hachette des vins
Domaine noté (guide 2022) Award-winning wines (The wines of this producer are regularly awarded by the guide)
About the domain :
A superb 17th-century fortified manor house surrounded by vines, set at the top of hills overlooking the Garonne valley, Château d'Yquem has - uniquely for a grand cru - remained in the same family, the Sauvages and then the Lur-Saluces, for almost four hundred years. By the 18th century, the estate had become the jewel in the crown of the Sauternes region. In addition to its stability, the estate benefits from a highly varied and nuanced terroir, made up of a multitude of small hills, with vines at the top of the plateau and others in the middle and at the bottom of the slope. This diversity makes it possible to adapt to the vagaries of the climate, and is the source of the great complexity of Yquem wines. Classified as a Premier Cru Supérieur in 1855, the only one in its category, it has belonged to the LVMH group since 1999, which entrusted its management to Pierre Lurton in 2004. Conversion to organic farming is scheduled for 2019.
Robert Parker - Wine Advocate
Scored (2014 guide) 95-97/100 (Extraordinary wine)
Domaine noté (guide 2022) Recommended (Wine producer recommended by Robert Parker - The Wine Advocate)
About the wine:
First, we notice the color, which is a touch deeper than recent vintages at this stage. The bouquet is honeyed and rich for Yquem at this early stage, with subtle scents of peach skin, white flowers and a touch of chalk and frangipane. The attack is liquorish, the texture initially enveloping, covering the palate with superb botrytized fruit. There are touches of Seville orange marmalade, fresh apricot, a hint of spice and passion fruit. The whole is imbued with impressive depth and volume, perhaps a Yquem determined to make an impression after last year's absence. It may not have the finesse of a high-flying Yquem, but it has immense power and persistence.
About the domain :
RVF - La Revue du Vin de France / Guide des Meilleurs Vins de France
Rated (2015 guide) 19/20 (Exceptional wine)
Domaine rated (guide 2022) 3*Stars (They represent the excellence of the French vineyard. The best terroirs cultivated by the greatest winemakers. Tasting their wines is always a magical experience)
About the domain :
Recognized as the world's most famous sweet wine, Yquem has been owned since 1999 by the LVMH group, headed by businessman Bernard Arnault. The château is now run by Pierre Lurton, also head of Château Cheval Blanc in Saint-Émilion. Before him, from 1967 to 2004, Alexandre de Lur Saluces wrote some of the finest pages in the history of the only premier cru classé supérieur in 1855, following in the footsteps of his forebears. For this wine has been perhaps the most consistent in Bordeaux for a hundred years. Even in small vintages and difficult periods, Yquem has held its ground through to its incomparable ageing. It owes this to its unique terroir, which reacts to botrytis development like no other, and to the men who have understood and exploited its qualities. If Yquem doesn't necessarily impress when young, it irreparably widens the gap with its neighbors after a few years of ageing. Tasting an old vintage of the château is an experience every sweet wine lover should have.
Wine Spectator
Wine rated (2014 guide) 98/100 (Exceptional wine)
Jancis Robinson
Wine rated (2014 guide) 19+/20
James Suckling
Wine rated (2014 guide) 98-99/100
Customer reviews
Customer rating
5/5
out of 1 review
Note and review by M. VINCENT J. Published on 14/04/2021
See all reviews from this customer
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