Chateau d'Yquem - 2018 - "Y" Blanc - 1.5 L

With an annual production of 10,000 bottles a year, Y (pronounced "ee-grek" in French) is a rare wine. It is made from the same outstanding terroir and the same vines as Château d'Yquem. Although work in the vineyard is very meticulous, the grapes are picked and the wine is made in a different way. It was decided in 2004 to make Y every year. Thus, by deliberate choice, we now harvest specific plots of Sauvignon Blanc at the beginning of the vintage, making sure to pick perfectly ripe bunches. Sémillon grapes complete these picked just at that fleeting stage when the grapes have reached maximum ripeness, botrytis has just appeared, and the skins have turned a pinkish color. This is the precise moment when this grape variety's tannins are soft enough for the aromatic potential of the best plots of clay soil to come through. The wine receives close attention all during fermentation: light, precise pressing as well as temperature-controlled must racking and alcoholic fermentation in a new aesthetically pleasing, state-of-the-art vat room set aside just for this wine. The end of fermentation and aging on the lees take place in barrels. Only one-third of these are new, and the lees are regularly stirred (bâtonnage) for ten months. The final blend is made after tasting. It usually consists predominantly of Sauvignon Blanc and a few lots of Sémillon.