Château d'Yquem 2005
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A smooth and balanced fine Sauternes wine
The producer
Château d'Yquem’s reputation has been built up over the last 400 years, culminating in 1855 when it was raised to the rank of Premier Cru Classé Supérieur in the official classification ordered by Napoleon III for the Universal Exhibition in Paris. The only name to have reached this level, Yquem is undoubtedly one of the legends of fine wines.
The vineyard
Château d'Yquem has a hundred hectares under production, planted with 75% Semillon and 25% Sauvignon Blanc. The Ciron River, a tributary of the Garonne, is essential in the production of Sauternes wines and provides an exceptional micro-climate for the vines of the estate. Indeed, it is thanks this micro-climate that the morning fogs develop in autumn, just before the harvest, leading to the appearance of the noble rot, Botrytis Cinerea. In addition to the characteristics of both the terroir and the climate, Château d'Yquem's reputation also owes a great deal to its know-how and its high standards. With a drastically limited yield, Château d'Yquem produces Sauternes wines whose rarity only adds to its prestige.
The blend
Château d'Yquem 2005 comprises a blend of Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc.
The tasting
Colour
The colour is brilliant.
Nose
Combining intense fruity (figs, dried fruit, apricot compote) and vanilla fragrances with floral notes (jasmine, acacia flower). On aeration, tasty and refreshing zesty notes are revealed.
Palate
The precise and suave attack gives way to a mouth with a silky touch and perfect balance. The palate is long and fresh with aromas of orange nonettes, liquorice and gingerbread.
The pale to medium lemon-gold colored 2005 d'Yquem opens with a provocative, mineral and earth-tinged nose of chalk dust, wet pebbles and dried wild mushrooms over a core of warm apricots, green mango, honeyed toast, ginger and pink grapefruit plus wafts of honeycomb, orange blossoms and saffron. The palate confirms the wine is still a little closed and shut down, offering achingly gorgeous glimpses at the tightly wound, intricate layers structured with a racy acid line and wonderfully creamy texture, finishing incredibly long and perfumed. This decadent flavor bomb still needs a good five to seven years in bottle before it is set to go off, but oh what a spectacle it will give then!