Beschreibung:

Château d'Yquem--Vintage 1988
29 half-bottles per lot
CHATEAU D'YQUEM 103 Hectares of vines: 80 Semillon, 20 Sauvignon Blanc Annual production approximately 140,000 bottles Château d'Yquem is unquestionably France's and arguably the world's finest sweet white wine, a product of outstanding terroir, expertise, tradition, painstaking wine making and viticultural practices, and of course the action of noble rot which concentrates the acids and the sugars as well as adding an additional dimension to the complex flavours and is vital for the production of such a rich and concentrated wine. As Count Alexandre de Lur-Saluces commented in 2002 "there is the amazing alchemy brought about by Botrytis Cinerea, the remarkable fungus that, here in Sauternes paradoxically transforms decay into gold". The name Yquem is believed to have been derived from the Germanic words "aigan" meaning to have and "helm" being combined as "aighelm". In the 10th century this manifested itself in popular first names such as Akelmus, Aquelmus and Aquemare, and altered into "Eyquem", and finally became spelt "Yquem" in the 16th Century. The history of Yquem dates back over four centuries, however in modern times a defining moment was in 1966 when Alexandre de Lur-Saluces took over the managing of the estate. Investment and modernization was carried out with the assistance of Guy Latrille (who was the maître de chai for 45 years until being replaced in 1998 by Sandrine Garbay) and Pierre Meslier (who was régissuer from 1962 until 1989 when he was replaced by Francis Mayeur). In 2004 following the acquiring of a majority stake by the luxury goods company, LVMH, Pierre Lurton was appointed Director and has appointed Denis Dubourdieu as consultant. The soil at the estate is very varied with a stony top soil of smooth pebbles and coarse gravel and clay subsoil which retains moisture. A drainage system that was installed by Romain Bertrand de Lur-Saluces in the mid nineteenth century was a vital addition to the estate due to the high clay content. There is no use of herbicides or chemical treatments, and organic compost is used. The vines are severely pruned in winter to limit yields and maximize the quality of fruit. The Semillon is spur pruned and the more vigorous Sauvignon Blanc is 90 spur pruned and 10 Single Guyot trained. There are 20 vineyard workers tending approximately 700,000 vines. At harvest there are 140 pickers with on average five or six selections or tries through the vineyard. The aim is to get a must with a potential of 20 degrees alcohol which is 360 grammes per litre of sugar. Yields are extremely low with an average of just 9 hectolitres per hectare. The grapes are crushed, with on average three pressings, and unlike most other wines, the third pressing yields the finest quality as this has the highest amount of sugars and flavourings with a potential alcohol level of 25 The first pressing yields 75 of the total volume with a potential alcohol of 19 and the second 15 of the volume with a potential alcohol of 21 Fermentation takes place in new oak barrels for between 2 and 6 weeks, until the level of alcohol reaches about 13.5 and there is 125 grammes per litre of residual sugar (although the alcohol can very depending on the vintage from 12.5 to 14.5. An initial blend is made in the spring following the harvest, and any wines that are not up to the high standards are rejected. The wines are then aged in barrels for up to three years with up to 15 rackings, a light fining before a final rigorous selection and bottling. Château d'Yquem--Vintage 1988 Sauternes, 1er grand cru classé In "HKDNP" import stamped original wooden cases "Most recently (2000) at Len Evans' 'Imperial Dinner' preceding the '83, very sweet, good flesh and finish. The following year, honeyed depth, fairly powerful, perfect acidity. Nov 2001 *****" M.B. 29 half-bottles per lot