The Silver Lining - 2007 Yquem en Nebuchadnezzar

Whilst few would argue that 2007 was a great vintage for red Bordeaux, as Robert Parker's Sauternes reviewer, Neil Martin put it, "Every Cloud Has a Silver Lining: Sauternes 2007" and conditions which led to a disappointing time for many reds, resulted in a Golden Year for the King of Sweet Wines, Chateau d'Yquem.

Pierre Lurton, MD of Ch. d'Yquem & BWI / BWL CEO Andy Lench
pictured with a Nebuchadnezzar of 2005 Yquem, at the chateau.

2007 Sauternes Vintage

"So, you glanced at the scores for Bordeaux 2007 reds, but long ago decided to give them a miss, right? Thought so. But before leaving the vintage completely orphaned, do spend a couple of minutes perusing the Sauternes because following the trend of 1967 and 1997, 2007 turned out to be a golden year for these mellifluous, criminally over-looked wines that tend to leave a sticky smile on your face".  - N.Martin, 'Robert Parker's Wine Advocate'

2007 Yquem

We were utterly seduced by the ambrosia that is 2007 Yquem and it would appear we were not alone, as testified by the reviews of leading critics: 

A sample blend excluding the 7th passage (80% of the blending). The Yquem '07 was cropped at 18hl/ha, reportedly similar to the 1967 in the middle of the harvest and 188 towards the later picking. This has a very concentrated nose although it is less showy at the moment. But there is tremendous power here, touches of marmalade, honey, peach and orange zest. Superb delineation. The palate is striking but its sense of urgency and nervosité, real vibrancy in the mouth even at this early stage. Pure clear honey, a touch of spice, orange cut marmalade and supreme focus on the almost Zen-like finish that will be bolstered with the later tries are added. Lovely touch of quince paste and dried lychee on the finish, which has 130gms/L residual. Superb Yquem, though not in the class of the '01. Drink 2012-2050. 96-98pt N.Martin, 'Robert Parker's Wine Advocate'

This is amazing. Full of spicy botrytis character, with smoke and piecrust underneath. Full and rich, yet not cloying or too dense. It's lively and long, finishing with intensity and power. An unnerving combination of wild ripe fruit and intense botrytis, with lively acidity. Really powerful. Should be a perfect wine. 98-100pt J.Suckling, 'Wine Spectator'

BWI & Yquem

Two years previously, Bordeaux Wine Investments (BWI) and our U.S. sister company, Bordeaux Wine Locators (BWL), collaborated with Chateau d'Yquem on a groundbreaking venture to produce a bottling of the 2005 Yquem in the largest format ever seen at this great estate.  120 Nebuchadnezzars (15ltr) were produced to mark that fine vintage.  20 have been retained by the chateau for their library cellar; the remaining 100 were exclusively distributed by BWI & BWL.  Following considerable international media coverage of the story, we received interest from around the world and the 100 soon sold out. 

The success of this has led to an increasingly close relationship between Yquem and ourselves and earlier this year we were delighted to have the opportunity to offer our clients another first.  Chateau d'Yquem withdrew a small quantity of bottles from their historic cellars from vintages spanning 1934 - 1982.  These were uniquely offered by us as part of a once in a lifetime opportunity to not only own the wines but also to taste each vintage in the mixed case at a dinner hosted at Chateau d'Yquem itself. 

2007 Yquem Nebuchadnezzars

The fantastic quality of the 2007 Sauternes harvest has given us the chance to once again offer the world an opportunity to own a piece of history in the making.  Chateau d'Yquem has consented to produce a second bottling of 120 Nebuchadnezzars, in recognition of the exceptional 2007 vintage.  2007 is clearly rivalled only by the already legendary 2001, in recent years and some of us think it may even be the match of '01.

The Nebuchadnezzar format is to be exclusively reserved for the great vintages of Yquem so there will only ever be a minuscule number of these incredible bottles in cellars around the globe.  Each bottle will be individually numbered from one to one hundred and the numbers will be allocated by means of a draw that will take place at the Château. They will be presented in a beautiful wooden display case bearing a brass plaque with the bottle number on the front. In addition, a certificate will accompany each bottle purchased.

2007 Yquem @ €10,750 per Nebuchadnezzar

You are invited to submit your interest to secure these monumental bottles. 

The Centum Club

Nebuchadnezzar ownership will automatically qualify you for membership of the d'Yquem CENTUM CLUB, an exclusive club created to mark the union between BWI, BWL and Chateau d'Yquem, for the production of this exquisite wine in this special format. There are a number of benefits to the membership; naturally the first benefit is all current members will be offered the first opportunity to acquire each succeeding vintage that is bottled in the 15-litre Nebuchadnezzar, together with various exclusive offers relating to d'Yquem.

For more detailed informaiton download the pdf below: