Unrivalled/Unequalled: Yquem 1921–2019
BY NEAL MARTIN |
Ali. Bach. Beatles. Bolt. Chippendale. Churchill. DRC. Hitchcock. Houdini. Jesus. Leonardo. Michelangelo. Miles. Parker. Pavarotti. Pelé. Shakespeare. Mononyms that at the peak of their powers were in a league of their own. It must be tough: you possess God-given talent, work tirelessly, push yourself beyond your limit, accomplish so much, yet there is unrelenting pressure to perform. The only way is down, and it’s a long drop from the summit.
To that list, add Yquem. Just as Shakespeare spent sleepless nights wondering if he could follow Hamlet, McCartney if he could write another “Yesterday,” Ali if he could floor his next opponent, and Jesus if water would still turn into wine, as Sauternes’ solitary Premier Cru Supérieur, Yquem must create a botrytized elixir that has an edge over others – unrivalled and unequalled – each and every year. And to make it even harder, success is at the whim of Nature.
Aside from the number of spellbinding bottles I’ve tasted over the years, two pieces of evidence affirm that Yquem’s exalted position is not undeserved. Firstly, in numerous blind tastings, it consistently trumps contenders to the throne. Blind-tasting Sauternes is not easy because of the accumulation of residual sugar, so Yquem’s supremacy is certainly not a given; indeed, there have been one or two occasions when it has fallen short. But it’s amazing how often it is deemed the best. Secondly, there is the roll call of off-vintages where Yquem has triumphed against the odds. There’s a strong argument that the litmus test of a great vineyard is not how it freewheels in easy vintages, but how it transcends difficult ones. In this respect, Yquem is unbeatable.
Looking at the blue skies here, it might be hard to believe this photo was taken in rain-plagued 2021.
This article has been a long time coming. It is the result of a steady stockpiling of notes back to early 2019 courtesy of multitudinous private dinners, a vertical tasting organized by estate director Pierre Lurton at Yquem in June 2021, and a second tasting with technical director Sandrine Garbay in London in early February 2022. During my two-hour discussion with Garbay, I gained a deeper understanding of this wine. Our exchange altered some of my preconceptions and corrected misconceptions. Such is the status of Yquem and the usefulness of the information I gleaned that I make no apologies for writing a lengthy, detailed account. Hopefully, once you have digested this epic piece (and like any Sauternes, you don’t have to consume it all at once), you will understand why Yquem is in a league of its own.
History
Yquem is a bona fide medieval fort, constructed by the Duke of Aquitaine, and it has all the architectural hallmarks of an English castle, with rectangular towers flanking each corner and a moat encircling the ancient battlements. Its name is thought to derive from the ancient German words aigan (“to have”) and helmut (“helm”), which were joined together to form “Aig-helm,” a common family name that evolved into “Eyquem” by the 16th century.
Portraits of Joséphine de Sauvage and Louis-Amédée de Lur-Saluces, whose marriage united two aristocratic families in Sauternes.
Jacques de Sauvage obtained the feudal rights to the estate in 1593 and oversaw the first château construction a few years later. In the 18th century, Léon de Sauvage gained sole ownership of the property. Thomas Jefferson, then US ambassador to France (and later the third president of the United States), brought Yquem to international prominence after his famous visit to the region in May 1787. In December of that year, Jefferson wrote to de Sauvage: “Not having the honour of making your acquaintance, I trust in your good faith to excuse me the liberty of writing to you directly. I will have need of some small provision of white Sauternes and I would prefer to receive it directly from your hands because I would be sure it is genuine, good and sound. Permit me then, Sir, to ask if you still have some of the Sauternes, first quality, of the year 1784, and if you would kindly let me have 250 bottles.” Jefferson was clearly being prudent by ordering directly from source, since even in this early chapter of Bordeaux’s history, unscrupulous merchants foisted counterfeits on unsuspecting clients. He ordered additional bottles for President George Washington and instructed their respective initials to be embossed upon the glass. Michael Broadbent M.W. tasted one of these precious wines in 1998 and described it at one point as “like a thoroughbred horse peeing on clean straw.” The bottle’s authenticity was subsequently questioned, but even if it was fake, at least it begat Broadbent’s inspired description.
The Lur-Saluces family became synonymous with Yquem following their grand entrance on the stage on June 6, 1785, when Joséphine de Sauvage was betrothed to Louis-Amédée de Lur-Saluces in a momentous union between two of the region’s most aristocratic dynasties. The Lur-Saluces were incumbent proprietors of Château de Fargues, located east of Yquem (and remain proprietors to this day). Their association with Yquem might have come to an abrupt halt when Louis-Amédée de Lur-Saluces died just three years after his acquisition in a horse-riding accident. Fortunately, this was sufficient time for his wife to give birth to their son and heir Antoine-Marie in 1786. Antoine-Marie also united two of the region’s dynasties when he married Françoise-Eugénie de Filhot in 1807. Antoine-Mari led a distinguished military career, and when he was taken prisoner in Russia in the early 19th century, he relied upon his mother Joséphine to hold the fort – literally. This redoubtable woman oversaw Yquem’s elevation to the most iconic and revered wine in the world. Incarcerated twice for her outspoken opposition to the excesses of the Revolution, she escaped the guillotine and oversaw the construction of a new wine cellar in 1826.
I don’t think the interior decor at Yquem came from IKEA.
