Château D'Yquem

The growing season was affected from the start by very high temperatures. Flowering was very early (the 5th of May) and the harvest began on the 4th of September, a record at Yquem. Picking was nevertheless called to a halt for 2 months because morning mists alone were insufficient to develop botrytis. This is a year of excesses that necessitated 7 passes and 32 days of picking lasting until the 4th of November. The end result is that 1997 Yquem shows rare complexity and perfect balance!