Chateau D’Yquem Sauternes Tasting on Valentines Day Friday, February 14th 7:30pm and all the Sauternes in the store on SALE!!
Wine makes every meal an occasion, every table more elegant, every day more civilized.
- Andre Simon
And I am trying to have at least 8-10 different wines every night with my dinner at the Wine Bar!
Our Chateau D’Yquem tasting has become an annual event on Valentine’s Day! This year we are going all the way back to the 1988 vintage including great vintages like; 1989, 2003, 2011 and more. We have some incredible vintages on the table this evening and the price of admission includes a five-course tasting menu!!
The wines of Sauternes and the neighboring district of Barsac were, up until recently, called the "dinosaurs of Bordeaux." This reference to the majestical creatures that once roamed and ruled the earth is somehow appropriate. These luscious, decadently rich sweet wines are the world's most exotic and at one time were the world's most expensive and most desired. After the Second World War, staggering costs and slackening demand threatened the vignerons with extinction of the prized nectar. Then in the 1980's the pendulum at last begun to swing the other way; and beginning with the great 1983 vintage (the best since 1976 and 1967), there was a renewed interest and demand for this great wine. This has sparked an unfortunate increase in prices, -The Wine Spectator reported in the fall of 1990 that wine merchants and collectors were lining up to pay as much as $230 a bottle for the first release of the 1986 Château d'Yquem. The auction market for these wines also began to heat up - older, prized vintages of Château d'Yquem began to double in price. In 2016 at Hedonism the exclusive Mayfair fine wine merchant, sold a rare 1811 Château d'Yquem (from the famed comet vintage) sold for an astronomical £78,105 in 2016 which is over $100,000 dollars!!
The fame of Sauternes reaches back at least to the time when Thomas Jefferson visited the area in 1785 and ordered a few cases of Château d'Yquem - in Jefferson's day d'Yquem was also the region's non-pareil Château. When the great wines of Bordeaux were classified seventy years later, d'Yquem was so highly regarded that it was accorded the unique status of Grand Premier Cru - a higher classification than the great Médoc clarets like Lafite and Latour etc. It is a little-known fact that the wine Jefferson ordered was quite dry; in fact the first sweet wine from this district was not made until the 1847 harvest at d'Yquem. However, it did not take long for these wines to achieve fame, for in that era sweet wines (Champagne was a sweet beverage then) were very fashionable. D'Yquem's first sweet wine vintage gained tremendous notoriety when the Grand Duke Constantine of Russia paid the then staggering price of 20,000 gold francs for four barrels; ever since it has been one of the most expensive wines of the world.
The process by which these great wines come about is fascinating and one of the examples of how nature can play topsy-turvy tricks and make decay a very beneficial rather than a harmful phenomenon. In the fall, under certain conditions, (misty mornings and sunny afternoons) a mold forms on the skin of the exceedingly ripe grapes that are left on the vines. The mold's technical term is botrytis cinerea; the vignerons refer to it as the "noble mold". It often envelopes a grape and feeds on it by sending spike-like tentacles through the skin. It rapidly shrivels the grapes and leaves their skins mere pulp. The remaining juice is extremely sweet, concentrated, and packed with glycerin. The particular conditions for serious onset of the "noble mold" occur only several times in a decade; and often the mold attacks unevenly, so the vines have to be picked over several times. (Picking is done as many as thirteen times at d'Yquem!) Sometimes growers lose patience and pick before the mold takes hold (for fear of a rain-out); the resulting wine is sweet, but it does not have that concentration that results from the shrinkage of the grapes from the mold. The great difficulty and expense of producing these wines in tandem with a great lack of demand after the Second World War discouraged many proprietors; during the post war period, d'Yquem stood almost alone in maintaining the great standards of the past.
Join us as we experience this great Sauternes back to the 1988 vintage! Chef Toni will be making a special five-course tasting menu to accompany the tasting wines. The fee for this tasting which includes dinner is $495 + tax, for reservations call 954-523-9463 or e-mail andy@winewatch.com.
Chateau D'Yquem Sauternes Wine Tasting back to the 1988 Vintage!
Friday, February 14, 2025
7:30 PM
1988 Chateau d'Yquem Sauternes
1989 Chateau d'Yquem Sauternes
2003 Chateau d'Yquem Sauternes
2011 Chateau d'yquem Sauternes
2014 Chateau d'yquem Sauternes
2016 Chateau d'yquem Sauternes
2020 Chateau d'yquem Sauternes
Menu
Jalapeño Sea Salt Popcorn
Foie Gras Torchon with Sauternes/Citrus jelly
Tuna Poke with Coconut, Honey, Lime and Jalapeno
Crispy Pork Belly with orange marmalade BBQ and Epoisses mashed potatoes
Coconut Creme Pie with White Chocolate Shavings and Dark Chocolate Sauce
The fee for this tasting which includes dinner is $495 + tax, for reservations call 954-523-9463 or e-mail andy@winewatch.com. Please let us know when you make your reservations if you have any food allergies or aversions and chefs Toni and Dani will be happy to accommodate you.
A bit about Chateau D’Yquem:
Château d'Yquem lies at the top of a hill in the commune of Sauternes commanding a view over the four communes that comprise the Sauternes district. Geographically, as well as psychologically, it is the focal point of the region. Although Château d'Yquem has been in the Lur-Saluces family since 1785, the first proprietor to take a close personal interest in the estate and its wine was Bertrand de Lur-Saluces (1810-1867). He lived and died at Château d'Yquem, made major improvements to the vineyard, and oversaw the era when d'Yquem began to fetch higher prices than even Château Lafite-Rothschild. Although the fashion for Sauternes eventually diminished, Château d'Yquem always remained protected by succeeding generations of Lur-Saluces. Alexandre, the present proprietor, took over at the death of his uncle, whose very long reign came to an end in December of 1968. And there has been great continuity with the team responsible for overseeing and producing the wine. The legendary Maitre de Chai, Roger Bureau, started work at Château d'Yquem in 1909 and retired in 1970!! The present manager, Pierre Meslier, arrived at d'Yquem in 1964. D'Yquem has always been one of the largest estates in the region. The domaine totals nearly 375 acres - two thirds of which are under vines. However, at any one time only about 200 acres are in full production Each year about 10 acres are pulled up when the vines reach 40-45 years of age, and these parcels are allowed to lie fallow for three years before replanting. The ratio is about 80% Semillon and 20% Sauvignon Blanc - an average of only seven hectoliters per hectare (about 31 cases per acre) is produced. This is equivalent to one glass of d'Yquem per vine per year! After the grapes are picked and the wine is made, it spends three and a half years in new oak barrels. Production
varies: There were as many as 10,000 cases produced in 1967 and 1975 - yet no d'Yquem was produced in 1972 and 1974. On average, production falls between 2,000 and 4,000 cases. For sake of comparison a 200-acre vineyard in the Médoc will produce between 30,000 and 40,000 cases a year. The scarcity, the incredible low yields, and the very high cost of production for such things as all new barrels every vintage and a very labor-intensive harvesting regiment partly account for the very high price of Château d'Yquem. The rest is explained by the fact that the very name Château d'Yquem is synonymous with sweet wine, with perfection, with tradition, with all that is superlative in Sauternes. It is, after all, the greatest sweet wine in the world. For those who wish to delve deeper into the history of this great property we highly recommend a compelling and beautiful book, YQUEM, written by Richard Olney and published in 1986.
All the Chateau D’Yquem in the store on SALE!!
2020 Chateau d'Yquem Sauternes 375 mL
Price: $315.00 Your Price: $277.20 Quantity in Stock: 4
(94 Points) The 2020 d'Yquem presents a fresh bouquet with aromas of white fruits, orchard fruits and mango, complemented by a hint of spring flowers. It’s perfectly balanced and moderately weighted compared to other vintages, making it a tense, penetrating d’Yquem. Despite the challenges of the growing season and a brief harvest (which began on September 30th and concluded on October 12th), d'Yquem's team managed to produce a mere 40,000 bottles, a modest yield in recent years. Wine Advocate
2018 CHATEAU D'YQUEM SAUTERNES 375ML
Price: $275.0 Your Price: $242.00
(97 Points) Average temperatures 2.7°C over average, combined with 20% of the normal rainfall from mid August to the end of July made makes this a naturally rich, low-yielding vintage (40% less than average, not helped by a hail storm in July), with a gloriously gourmet 145g/ha residual sugar, and a pH level of 3.95. As ever with Yquem, patience was the key, taking in the grapes slowly but surely over 17 days harvest that extended well into October. The results in the glass are intense and glossy, full of satin-textured apricot and white peach flavours. There are exotic fruits of pineapple and mango but winemaker Sandrine Garbay has kept a focus on fresher flavours of lime zest and citrus that balance out the natural richness and concentration. Pretty closed right now, but there is power and balance here, an excellent Yquem. (JA) Review Date: 08/2020, Decanter
2016 CHATEAU D'YQUEM SAUTERNES 375 ML
Price: $339.00 Your Price: $298.32
(96 Points) With 135 grams of residual sugar, the 2016 d'Yquem has turned out brilliantly in bottle, exhibiting a precise, harmonic, deep bouquet with aromas of mango, lychee, jasmine, exotic fruits, dry apricot and menthol. It’s moderately weighted and tense with a layered yet concentrated texture and a long, vibrant finish. Racy, charming and attractively complete, it distinguishes itself from its peers with its bright acidity. Wine Advocate
2014 Chateau D'Yquem Sauternes 375 mL
Price: $363.00 Your Price: $319.44 Quantity in Stock: 5
(93 Points) The 2014 d'Yquem is showing very well today, offering a fruity, fresh bouquet that reveals an abundance of peaches, apricots and honey, overlaid by nuances of curry, fennel and spices. Precise and delicate, it’s perfectly balanced and moderately weighted, with bright acids and a racy "liqueur" note, concluding in a tense, fresh, penetrating finish. Residual sugar: 146 grams per liter. Wine Advocate
2013 Chateau d'Yquem Sauternes (375ml)
Price: $365.00 Your Price: $321.20
A very Botrytis wine with a sappy confit. Two ideal phases of concentration which concretize a potential of a very present mushroom this year. Honeyed, saffron and candied orange notes. A very typical wine of the noble rot.
2011 Chateau D'yquem Sauternes
Price: $525.00 Your Price: $462.00 Quantity in Stock: 1
2011 Chateau d'Yquem Sauternes 375 mL
Price: $365.00 Your Price: $321.20
(96 Points) Served from an ex-chateau bottle. Bottled in October 2013, the 2011 Chateau d’Yquem is reticent at first, a little stage fright perhaps. It soon recovers and offers gorgeous scents with fresh white peach, nectarine and fresh apricot that are beautifully defined, although there is a veneer of new oak that will need to be subsumed. The palate is well-balanced with superb structure. There is a light spiciness here with great symmetry, and although there is not the persistency of a top flight Yquem, it has a penetration that is compelling. Tasted March 2014. eRobertParker.com #213 Jun 2014 Reviewer: NEAL MARTIN
2010 Chateau D'yquem Sauternes
Price: $798.00 Your Price: $702.24
(98 Points) The 2010 Château d’Yquem is an utterly stunning young wine and a very worthy follow-up to the magical wine produced at this estate in 2009. The bouquet is deep, complex and flat out brilliant, as it soars from the glass in a celestial mélange of pineapple, tangerines, a touch of passion fruit, honeycomb, beautifully complex and chalky soil tones, spring flowers and a very gentle touch of vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, suave and utterly seamless, with great mid-palate depth, bright acids and surreal length and grip on the dancing and very intensely flavored finish. The 2010 d’Yquem is not quite as ethereally complex at this stage as the hauntingly beautiful 2009, but in terms of sheer quality, it seems likely to be every bit as profound. Review Date: 03/2011, John Gilman
2008 Chateau D'Yquem Sauternes
Price: $695.00 Your Price: $611.60 Quantity in Stock: 1
2008 Chateau D'Yquem Sauternes 375ml
Price: $357.00 Your Price: $314.16
(96 Points) The 2008 Yquem, now in bottle, has a nuanced bouquet, with scents of clear honey, lime flower, vanilla and orange blossom that is beautifully defined. The palate is very harmonious on the entry, with a fine thread of acidity, tense and full of energy like the 2010 tasted alongside, with notes of white peach, citrus lemon, clear honey and a hint of quince. Long and persistent on the finish, this is a very fine Yquem that might be over-looked between the 2007 and 2009, but is a superb Sauternes in its own right. Drink 2014-2050. - The Wine Advocate, Neal Martin
2006 Chateau d'Yquem Sauternes
Price: $696.00 Your Price: $612.48
2006 Chateau D'Yquem Sauternes 375ml
Price: $393.00 Your Price: $345.84
(98 Points) A monumental bottle of Sauternes despite a moderate level of residual sugar (122 grams per liter), the 2006 d'Yquem displays a singular, distinctive and elegant bouquet with aromas of thyme, sage, curry, baked pineapple and oregano. Full-bodied, layered and multidimensional, it’s rich and concentrated, with superb acidity on the mid-palate as well as freshness, tension and crystalline texture, concluding on an endless, ethereal finish with a racy bitterness. Simply stunning! (YC) Review Date: 10/2023, Wine Advocate
1989 Chateau d'Yquem Sauternes, France
Price: $996.00 Your Price: $876.48
(97 points) The favorite sweet wine of millionaires, Chateau d'Yquem has, not unexpectedly, turned in a brilliant effort with their newly released 1989. It is a large-scaled, massively rich, unctuously-textured wine that should evolve effortlessly for a half century or more. It does not reveal the compelling finesse and complexity of the 1988 or 1986, but it is a far heavier, richer wine than either of those vintages. It is reminiscent of the 1976, with additional fat and glycerin. The wine is extremely alcoholic and rich, with a huge nose of smoky, honey-covered coconuts and overripe pineapples and apricots. As with most young vintages of Yquem, the wine's structure is barely noticeable. These wines are so highly extracted and rich yet approachable young, it is difficult to believe they will last for 50 or more years. The 1989 is the richest Yquem made in the eighties, and it has an edge in complexity over the powerhouse 1983. It remains to be seen whether this wine will develop the extraordinary aromatic complexity possessed by the promising 1988 and 1986 Yquems. Last tasted 11/97 Bordeaux Book, 3rd Edition Jan 1998
1983 Chateau d'Yquem Sauternes
Price: $1041.00 Your Price: $916.08
(98 points) Super-intense and full-throttled, elegant and stylish. Dark amber in color and rich in complexity, this '83 coats your mouth with butterscotch, dried apricot, fig and spice flavors. Made to age for decades. (4/1995) Wine Spectator
2021 Château d'Yquem “Y” YGrec Bordeaux Blanc Magnum
Price: $600.00 Your Price: $528.00
(98 Points) A great example of this always-arresting dry white, with a ton of soft apple blossom aromatics, before drawing inwards to show scraping acidity, powerful white peach, quince, apricot and citrus flavours with a twist of lime juice, fennel and a salty tang of oyster shell and salted crackers. Has the richness, complexity and concentration that you find in Yquem, and although it won't have quite the same longevity, there is no issue with keeping this wine for 15 to 20 years. 7g/l of residual sugar, mainly from the Sémillon that is picked with the first bloom of botrytis, bringing an opulent, voluptuous feel that transmits the DNA of the property. Spends 12 months in 80% one year old barrels previously used for Château d'Yquem (of course fully washed and prepared, but still imparting a blush of rich flavour), together with 20% new oak. The 2021 vintage in Bordeaux was a better year for whites than reds, and this exceptional white wine is a great example. Last vintage with Sandrine Garbay as winemaker, leaving in 2022. Review Date: 09/2023, Jane Anson
2020 Chateau d'Yquem 'Y' Ygrec, Bordeaux, France
Price: $382.50 Your Price: $336.60
(90 Points) The 2020 Y de Yquem has a pretty nose with yellow fruit, Satsuma and traces of dried honey, opening nicely in the glass. The palate is well balanced with a viscous entry and lower acidity than its peers but clean fruit. It concludes with a welcome stem-ginger and lemongrass-tinged finish. Very fine. Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting. -- Neal Martin Vinous, November 2024
All the Sauternes in the store on SALE!!
2016 Cypres de Climens Barsac
Price: $58.50 Sale Price: $51.48 Quantity in Stock: 1
2016 Chateau Climens Barsac
Price: $115.00 Your Price: $101.20 Quantity in Stock: 9
2014 Chateau Climens Barsac
Price: $115.00 Your Price: $101.20 Quantity in Stock: 5
2012 Chateau Climens Barsac
Price: $100.00 Your Price: $88.00 Quantity in Stock: 7
2009 Chateau Climens Barsac Sauternes 3 LITER
Price: $1350.00 Sale Price: $995.00 Quantity in Stock: 1
2008 Chateau Climens Barsac
Price: $122.75 Your Price: $108.02 Quantity in Stock: 6
2005 Chateau Climens Barsac 375ml
Price: $82.50 Your Price: $72.60 Quantity in Stock: 12
2016 Chateau Suduiraut Sauternes
Price: $114.00 Your Price: $100.32 Quantity in Stock: 6
2008 Chateau Suduiraut Sauternes (375ml)
Price: $57.00 Your Price: $50.16 Quantity in Stock: 8
2016 Chateau Rieussec Sauternes (375 mL)
Price: $51.00 Your Price: $44.88 Quantity in Stock: 7
2010 Chateau Rieussec Sauternes MAGNUM
Price: $225.00 Your Price: $198.00 Quantity in Stock: 1
1995 Chateau de Rayne Vigneau Sauternes
Price: $195.00 Your Price: $171.60 Quantity in Stock: 2
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