Rare collections of the World's leading wines to be sold as single bottles
Timed Online Auction, 15 - 28 August 2023
Chateau d’Yquem
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About this Item
Château d`Yquem, often described as the greatest sweet wine in the world and the only Sauternes First Growth of Bordeaux. Few wines in the world have produced consistently noble quality for more than 4 centuries.
Established in 1593, the property consists of a 110-hectare vineyard planted with 80% Semillon and 20% Sauvignon Blanc. The wines are created from botrytized fruit that is picked by hand in several passes ‘tiers’ by up to 150 harvesters. Château d'Yquem is the product of meticulous work in the vineyard, along with the estate’s exceptional terroir, and centuries of inherited knowledge since 1593, it has gained the reputation of the world’s finest sweet wine.
In the Bordeaux Classification of 1855, Château d'Yquem was given the unique and unsurpassable rank of Premier Cru Supérieur, ahead of all other Sauternes, indicating its perceived superiority and ability to command by far the highest prices. The wines of Château d'Yquem are characterised by their complexity, concentration and longevity. In a good year, a bottle will only begin to show its qualities after a decade or two of cellaring and with proper care, will keep for a century or more, gradually adding layers of complexity.
Michael Egan Authentication code - 248
Provenance
The Coats Family Cellar is arguably the most prestigious fine wine collection ever offered in South Africa. It contains an expansive collection of the worlds finest, most sought-after wines, spanning over 150 years. Collected over many decades, the cellar was imported from Ireland to South Africa via refrigerated container. Each bottle within the Coats Family Cellar was authenticated by Michael Egan in August 2022 and given an ID number for tracking.
Michael Egan is a world-expert in fine and rare wines with more than thirty five years of experience. He was the principal expert for the plaintiff in the two major wine counterfeiting trials in Koch v. Eric Greenberg and United States v. Rudy Kurniawan, both of which occurred in 2013.
Along with Michael Egan, the Strauss & Co Fine Wine team have tasted extensively through the cellar and are confident of the wine storage and hence quality. The entire collection is currently stored at Wine Cellar.
Critics Ratings
‘From one of the 20th century's celebrated vintages for Yquem, this bottle stands up to all the hype--unforgettable for its purity, elegance, harmony, its "total" everything. Powerful, yet it seems weightless on the palate, almost defying gravity as it tangos around with its vanilla, peach and apricot flavors. Seamless, nearly endless finish. Easy to understand its reputation as the greatest Yquem of the last 35 years.’ – Wine Spectator, 100/100 (May 1999)
‘Bright orange amber. Very rich nose with some green notes. Intense nose that’s very clean. Then masses of sweetness and life. The most substantial of the five wines so far tasted. Real impact on the palate. Middle-aged but by no means old. Still got lots to give.’ - Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com, 19/20 (Nov 2022)
‘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.’ – Lisa Perrotti-Brown, Wine Advocate, 99/100 (Aug 2019)
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