Chateau d’Yquem (Winemaking, Best Wines, Prices 2024)
Ready to explore all about the marvelous Chateau d’Yquem and add the best bottles to your wine portfolio?
Château d’Yquem (pronounced dee-kem) produces magnificent Sauternes wine - considered to be the greatest sweet wine in the world.
Exceptional wine quality and longevity, and the Chateau’s rich history and winemaking excellence also make Yquem one of the world’s highest-priced white wines!
But how is Yquem wine made, and which are the best bottles of Chateau d’Yquem?
Let’s explore all there is to know about the Yquem wines, including the easiest way to invest in them in 2024.
Further reading
- Check out this guide to find out the Best Wyas to Invest in Fine Wine.
- Are you on the lookout for tasty white wine? Try these Sweet Gewurztraimer or Sophisticated Pinot Gris Wines for your next big party!
A Quick Intro to Château d’Yquem
Chateau d’Yquem is a renowned estate in the Sauternes appellation of the Gironde region in Bordeaux, southwest France, and has centuries of winemaking history behind it.
The Chateau d’Yquem sweet white wine Sauternes was the only one given the Premier Cru Superieur rating (Premier Grand Cru Classe) in the Bordeaux wine official classification of 1855, putting it in a league of its own.
Chateau d’Yquem produces two types of wine:
- Chateau d’Yquem: The Chateau’s signature Sauternes wine is made with 80% Semillon and 20% Sauvignon Blanc grapes affected by noble rot. (Noble rot or Botrytis cinerea is a fungus that depletes the water content in the grapes and increases their sweetness.)
- Y (pronounced Ygrec in French): This is a rare dry white Bordeaux blend made from 80% Sauvignon Blanc and 20% Semillon grapes.
Chateau d’Yquem makes this wine only in selected vintages and releases it under the label Bordeaux Superieur Blanc. It has an annual production of only 10,000 bottles a year.
So, what is the history behind the sophisticated Yquem wines?
A Brief History of Chateau d’Yquem
Chateau d’Yquem has a long history dating back to France in the Middle Ages when the King of England owned the estate.
A few centuries later, in 1593, the property was sold to the French nobleman Jacques de Sauvage. In 1642, the Sauvage family planted all vineyards exclusively with white grape varieties.
Around 1666 they started making sweet white wine from grapes affected by the noble rot.
In 1785, the House of Yquem was passed on to the Lur Saluces family, when Françoise-Joséphine de Sauvage d'Yquem got married to Count Louis-Amédée de Lur-Saluces. They continued developing the estate vineyards in the Sauternes region or appellation.
That’s when Thomas Jefferson (then ambassador of the USA) visited the Chateau and fell in love with the Sauternes wine. He ordered several cases of the wine for himself and a few bottles for President George Washington.
In 1968, Alexandre de Lur-Saluces took charge of the estate. His brother Eugene decided to sell 47% of his Chateau d’Yquem shares to the French luxury goods giant Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy (LVMH) in 1996.
LVMH managed to buy 55% of the winery for $100 million. Alexandre de Lur-Saluces was appointed as the Chateau manager.
In 2004, LVMH acquired the rest of the property and placed Pierre Lurton (who was in charge of their other estate Chateau Cheval Blanc) as managing director of the Yquem estate.
Further reading:
- Are you on the lookout for tasty wine cocktail recipes? Try these irresistible Mimosas or mix up a delicious Sangriafor your next big party!
Chateau d’Yquem Viticulture
The Chateau Yquem vineyard is 113 hectares in size, but about 12 hectares are either not planted or have very young vines. The Sauvignon Blanc vines take up about 25% of the vineyard and Semillon, 75%.
The vineyard has a unique microclimate that creates favorable conditions for the Botrytis noble rot.
The terroir is a combination of different soils. The gravel topsoil lies on a layer of clay soils, while the deepest layer of soil is limestone. This terroir can retain water that the vines need during the hot summer months.
All vines are on average 25 years old, and they’re replaced before they reach 50 years of age.
Further reading:
- Explore other white wines like the sweet Riesling or the elegant Sauvignon Blanc.
- Also, find out which are the best Rose wines to sip on in 2024!
Next, let’s see how the Chateau d’Yquem winemakers achieve perfection with each bottle of Sauternes wine they produce.
How is Yquem Wine Made?
The Yquem winemakers follow these steps for producing wine:
- Harvest: All grapes are picked by hand. The pickers carefully examine each vine and choose grapes that are affected by noble rot. It takes about 180 pickers and multiple passes around the whole vineyard to pick the best grapes.
To avoid excessive humidity, the grapes are never harvested in rainy weather or the mornings. The yields are low - about 8-9 hectoliters (or, to put it in perspective, about one glass of wine per vine.)
That’s precisely what drives up the price of Chateau d Yquem wines much higher than other white wines. It simply takes a lot more work and vines to make a bottle of this exceptional wine.
Read more: Do a deep dive into the fascinating world of Malbec wine.
- Pressing: Once the berries are sorted out, they’re pressed at least twice with a pneumatic press and a third time with a vertical press. The result is lower production volumes but with much higher sugar levels.
- Fermentation: The grape juice undergoes fermentation in new oak barrels for about 2-6 weeks. The winemakers seize the fermentation process to increase the residual sugar levels in the wine.
The final result is a wine with an alcohol content of 13.5% ABV, residual sugar levels of about 120-150 grams per liter, and a small amount of tartaric acid.
- Aging: Until 2000, Yquem wine was aged in 100% new French oak barrels for 36 months. Nowadays, the winemakers age the wine for 30 months. After the 6th or 8th month of aging, the Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc wines are blended.
From each vintage, the Yquem cellar master Sandrine Garbay successfully produces about 65,000 bottles of the iconic Chateau d’Yquem annually.
In poor vintages of Yquem, the winemakers sell the grapes, and no wine is made to retain the reputation of the Chateau’s Primeur wine. This happened nine times in the 20th century.
Yquem Wine Characteristics and Food Pairings
Chateau d’Yquem is not your typical sweet wine and definitely not an ordinary Sauternes.
Since the harvested wine grapes have different noble rot levels, they add a layer of complexity, acidity, and sweetness to the wine, making it more sensual and flavorful.
A Chateau d’Yquem wine combines rich aromas of dried apricot, green mango, white peach, honeyed tropical fruits, and intense caramel flavor with an elegant aftertaste of roasted nuts.
When just bottled, the Yquem wine has a beautiful golden hue. After 3-4 decades, the Chateau d Yquem’s color gets darker, and a century-old Chateau d’Yquem would have a dark caramel hue to it. With the aged wines, you’ll also notice a hint of spice and toast flavor.
How do you serve Yquem wine?
To get the most out of your Chateau d’Yquem wine, serve it at 14°C. At this temperature, the wine develops a fresh and crisp taste that will slowly reveal all its deep and flavorful aromas.
You can pair this outstanding Sauternes wine with elegant foie gras or seafood dishes like shellfish, lobster, oysters, or even sushi. The wine also goes well with more traditional meats like roasted pork, spicy chicken, or different cheese platters.
So, which are the best Yquem wines you can get a hold of in 2022?
The Best Vintages of Chateau d’Yquem to Buy in 2024
1. Chateau d'Yquem 1831
This Chateau d’Yquem is almost two centuries old and has developed an intense gold amber color. It has mesmerizing apricot and tropical fruit aroma accompanied by a rich vanilla flavor and a long-lasting honey aftertaste.
Price of Chateau d'Yquem 1831: $98,083
2. Chateau d'Yquem 1892
Here’s another Yquem vintage that’s over a century old. An excellent example of beautifully aged Sauternes wine with pleasant notes of caramel, oak, and a hint of minerals.
The flavors of white peach, pear, and honey match perfectly with light fruity desserts or delicious blue cheese platters.
Price of Chateau d'Yquem 1892: $60,395
3. Chateau d'Yquem 1919
This exceptional Chateau d’Yquem vintage has pleasant creme brulee aromas and unctuous texture. On the palate, it has intense pineapple flavors accompanied by subtle white chocolate and oak undertones.
Price of Chateau d'Yquem 1919: $8,214
4. Chateau d'Yquem 1921
This intense Sauternes wine has a delicate, syrupy texture and a delightful sweetness to it. On tasting yquem 1921, every sip will give you a mouthfeel of lemon curd and dried fruit flavors, a subtle oaky aroma, and a lingering orange peel aftertaste.
Price of Chateau d'Yquem 1921: $10,452
5. Chateau d'Yquem 1937
This is a great vintage of Yquem with extraordinary chocolate color and a sweet aroma of honey, caramel, and pear. This great wine has a long-lasting flavor of minerals and oak.
Price of Chateau d'Yquem 1937: $5,773
6. Chateau d'Yquem 1945
This Yquem wine is a beautiful swirl of complex tasting notes like peach, coconut, ripe pineapple, and nutmeg. The flavors of this Bordeaux wine have intensified further with age, and has a gentle nose of grilled toast, oak, and vanilla.
Price of Chateau d'Yquem 1945: $7,758
7. Chateau d'Yquem 1959
Here we have a Chateau d’Yquem vintage with warm caramel color and fresh acidity. The wine has an exceptional taste of butterscotch, candied orange, and burnt sugar - irresistible for any wine lover.
Price of Chateau d'Yquem 1959: $2,902
8. Chateau d'Yquem 1975
This comparatively recent vintage of Yquem has a silky smooth texture and an enchanting deep golden hue. The wine has an exquisite buttery taste, complemented by tropical fruit, manuka honey tasting notes, and a hint of spiciness.
Price of Chateau d'Yquem 1975: $1,008
9. Chateau d'Yquem 'Y' Ygrec 2005
The second wine that Chateau d’Yquem produces is this elegant dry white wine. This Bordeaux Blanc has a pleasing freshness, gentle floral aromas, and slight hints of saltiness and minerality.
Price of Chateau d'Yquem Ygrec 2005: $399
10. Sauternes No. 5 Chateau D'Yquem
This Chateau d’Yquem wine is made by blending second selection grapes from different vintages. It was initially created for the LVMH employees only, which makes it hard to find.
This Chateau d'Yquem Sauternes wine has an outstanding taste of tropical fruits, honeyed pears, and roasted nut aromas.
Price of Sauternes No. 5 Chateau D'Yquem: $127
Read more: Looking for an elegant white wine? Try some of these outstanding Pinot Blanc wines we chose for you!
The Exceptional Aging Potential of Yquem Wines
Most white wines are not meant to be drunk young and usually expire within just a few years after bottling.
However, if appropriately stored, Chateau d’Yquem wine can easily age for decades or even a century, and its flavor and character can only improve over the years. That’s due to the wine’s high residual sugar and acidity levels, which preserve the wine from spoilage.
Investing in Chateau d’Yquem Wine
Chateau d’Yquem wine is one of the best wines you can invest in.
After LVMH acquired Chateau d’Yquem in 2004, the release price of the following vintages spiked to $4,800+ (more than double of previous years.)
As for price appreciation, the vintages from 1995 to 2004 have increased in value by 8% on average, and the newer vintages (after 2005) remain stable.
At auctions, the wine often sets records for being some of the highest-priced wines. In 2011, a bottle of Yquem from 1811 was sold for a remarkable $117,000 in London and became the most expensive wine bottle ever sold.
Five years earlier, in 2006, a 135-year vertical lot was sold for $1.5 million at The Antique Wine Company in London.
Further reading:
- Looking for a spicy red wine? Check out these Astonishing Zinfandel Wines we picked for you. Or discover the most outstanding Barbera d’Asti wines.
- So, what is the easiest way for you to invest in these magnificent Sauternes wines and other fine wines like Pouilly-Fuissé?
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Ready to Add a Chateau d’Yquem to Your Wine Collection?
Chateau d’Yquem wines are the finest Sauternes you can get a hold of. Their intense flavors, delightful sweetness, and age-worthiness set them apart from all other sweet wines.
And, the easiest way to find an authentic bottle of Yquem wine is through wine investment platforms like Vinovest. So, sign up on Vinovest and start building a winning wine portfolio today!
