| Type |
White dessert wine from grapes with noble rot dessert wine semi-aromatic |
| Grape varieties |
20% Sauvignon, 80% Semillon |
| History |
The only one Premier Grand Cru Sauternes from the 1855. |
| Climate |
The region has an oceanic climate tempered by its distance from the Atlantic. |
| Soil composition |
Layers of clay, sand, and gravel are piled atop one another like plates of varying size amd thickness. The topography consists of gentle slopes, called croupes in French. |
| Harvest |
Grapes have been harvested the same way at Chateau d'Yquem for centuries. At vintage time, the chateau's work force increases by 140 piclers, divided into four groups. The scour the entire vineyard for grapes that are both botrytised and have attained maximum concentration. Harvesting at Yquem calls for picking in several waves. |
| Production technique |
As soon as they are picked, the grapes are quickly trasported to the cellar, where they are pressed several times. This is essential to extract highly-concentrated juice. Different lots of grape must are blended every evening and then put into new barrels. |
| Vinification |
Alcolic fermentation naturally come to a halt after 3-4 week, leaving about 125 g/l of residual sugar. |
| Ageing |
After the fermentation the wine is ready to go undergo a very long period of barrel ageing, during which gentle oxidation takes place via the pores in the oak, releasing wonderful aromas and flavours. The wine is racked every three months throughout this process. Racking consists of separating the wine from the lees at the bottom of the barrel. The wine finishes ageing in barrel and is bottled in the fourh spring after the vintage. |