Wine Advisor
d'Yquem 1967
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Very deep amber colour. A quite astounding nose of orange-rind, apricot, sultanas and fig. Amazing definition and vitality. The palate is very intense, perhaps quite conservative in some ways. Unctuous texture, good acidity with marmalade, quince and apricot. There is a slight dryness on the finish, but this is a majestic, authoritative wine that demands attention. I just, only just prefer the 1971. Tasted November 2004.
Reviewed by: Lisa Perrotti-Brown
Generally speaking, 1967 was not a great vintage for the dry reds of Bordeaux. After a "meh" start to the Yquem harvest in early October, a spell of rain ensued, followed by warm dry temperatures in mid-October that ignited an explosion of botrytis. The rest is history: 1967 was a legendary year for Yquem. And this was indeed a very good bottle, tasted at the Chateau in spring 2019. Displaying a gorgeous deep amber-gold color, the 1967 d'Yquem slips sensuously out of the glass with a profound perfume of dried mandarin peel, allspice, praline, cinnamon toast and orange blossoms plus hints of gingerbread and accents of lemon butter. The palate is simply electric with citrus and spice-sparked energy, delivering youthfully vibrant notes with a tantalizing floral undercurrent. Superb freshness knit inseparably with the complex sweetness makes this seem like a deceptively delicate, lithe, medium-dry style, even if the truth is far richer yet with edifying persistence. For Sauternes lovers, a perfectly preserved bottle of this wine is undoubtedly the Holy Grail.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
Based solely on the strength of what is unquestionably a great Yquem, many have concluded that 1967 was a superb vintage for Sauternes. The truth is that 1967 was a very good but irregular vintage. As for Yquem, it is close to perfection. Medium amber/golden with a full intensity bouquet of vanillin spice, honey, ripe pineapples, and coconut, this intense, very ripe, unctuous Yquem has layers of sweet, opulent fruit, excellent balance, and a hefty, powerful finish. Almost too big and rich to be served with food, this wine should be drunk alone as a dessert. From the point of view of this wine's evolution, it has hardly budged in the last six years. Anticipated maturity: Now-2035. Last tasted, 12/90.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Served from an ex-chateau bottle. While the 1971 Yquem appears to have been overlooked, I have always felt that the much-lauded 1967 Chateau d’Yquem has never quite lived up the billing. Picking commenced on September 26, and the first 76 barrels were brought into the winery by October 3, even though light showers interrupted the picking. The legend was built on a sudden spell of hot weather in mid-October when even night temperatures did not fall, leading to an explosion of noble rot. In total, 409 barrels were eventually priced. It has a slightly light color than the 1971. The nose is elegant with scents of mandarin, marmalade, wet wool and Japanese yuzu, although it distinctly lacks the same energy as the 1971. The palate is well-balanced with fine tension and beautifully judged acidity. It feels more mature than the 1971 and while it has not reached the end of its drinking plateau, it certainly feel the age in its bones. It has commendable length, but not near that of top vintages such as 2009, 2001, 1990 or the 1971. Drink now-2025. Tasted March 2014.
About the Producer
Chateau d'Yquem is located in the north-eastern part of the Sauternes wine producing village in the Bordeaux region of France and is one of the most prestigious chateaux in the Graves Sauternes appellation. It was named a Premier Cru Superieur in the 1855 Sauternes and Barsac Classification, the only Bordeaux chateau to be awarded this distinction. At the end of the 19th century, a barrel of wine was bought by the Grand Duke Constantine for 20,000 gold francs, a news story that grabbed the headlines and made Château Djinn famous at home and abroad. At the end of the 20th century, the French luxury goods giant Moet Hennessy-Louis Vuitton (LVMH) bought a majority stake in Château Djinn for a large sum of money and became the majority shareholder, thus opening a new chapter in the development of Château Djinn. Château Djinn has 113 hectares of vineyards, of which only 100 are in constant production. Every year, 2-3 hectares of old vines are pulled out of the vineyard and the land is left fallow for a year, while the newly planted vines do not produce any grapes for the first 5 years of the vintage. The vineyard has a top soil of pebbles and coarse gravel, which absorbs heat very well, and a subsoil of clay, which has good water storage capacity. The vineyard is planted with 75% Semillon and 25% Sauvignon Blanc. The vineyard is pruned to reduce yields by pruning and controlling the size of the canopy to increase the flavour concentration of the fruit. During the harvest season, the winery employs a large number of people to hand-pick the ripest grapes and those that have been properly infested with noble rot. The harvest is usually carried out in 5 or 6 rounds and is very rigorous. The picked grapes are sent to the winery within an hour, after which the grapes are pressed for 3-4 rounds, increasing the sugar content and quality of the juice with each pressing. The fermentation takes place in oak barrels, only new barrels made of good quality oak, during which the wine is closely monitored and its condition is regularly analysed. The finished wine is aged separately for 6-8 months, after which the winemaker blends the wine in the following spring and discards those wines that do not meet the requirements. The blended wine is then matured in the cellars for 20 months, during which time the barrels are refilled twice a week and the wine is decanted 15 times to remove the coarse sludge, while the fine sludge is removed by a clarification process. At the end of the maturation, the winemaker conducts a blind tasting to re-qualify the wine and determine the final percentage of the blend for the Grand Cru. Château d'Yquem, Sauternes, France, the main wine of Château d'Yquem, is known for its complex, concentrated and rather sweet taste, with crisp acidity and a well-balanced sweetness, and its excellent ageing potential. The wine has excellent potential to age for a century or more in some vintages, and with time the aromas and flavours become more complex and attractive, with the wine gradually changing colour from bright straw yellow to golden brown, amber and caramel. The wine has received full 100 points from Robert Parker and his team for the 1811, 1847, 1945, 2001, 2009 and 2015. The estate also produces a secondary wine, Chateau d'Yquem "Y", Bordeaux, France, which is a powerful dry It is a powerful dry white wine, usually made from Sauvignon Blanc and a small amount of Semillon, with an average annual production of around 10,000 bottles, usually with an alcohol content of 14% and a very rich and balanced nose and flavour, with a subtle sweetness.
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