Yquem is beautifully placed at a hilltop in Sauternes’ commune, with its 103-ha big vineyard (clay and gravel on the surface and limestones in the subsoil), planted with 80% Semillon and 20% Sauvignon Blanc. The average age of vines is 27 years.

Due to poor weather during much of the growing season, this vintage should, by all rights, be best forgotten. And it is true that summer temperatures were cool, there were 100 mm of precipitation in August, ripening was very uneven, there were burst berries, etc. However, a miraculous and radical change in the weather propitious to botrytis turned what started out as a handicap to a decisive advantage. In fact, the variety and complexity of grapes brought in at different stages produced a fantastic wine.

Once the wine is bottled, it is then labeled. The capsule and label match the wine’s color. Bottles are then wrapped in white silk paper and delicately put into wooden cases. These are stamped with the Château coat of arms, sealed, and ready to be shipped and aged in the cellars of wine lovers around the world.