Château D'Yquem

A totally unusual year: hot and dry from April to October, and a month ahead of a usual year: flowering took place on the 5th of May, véraison (colour change) occurred on the 15th of July, and the harvest started on the 28th of August. Grapes with very high sugar levels were picked one by one until the 15th of September, after which the quantity increased to the point where the cellar's maximum daily capacity of pressing (75 barrels' worth of wine) was reached. Sparse showers in October botrytised the rest of the crop and three passes yielded an enormous amount of grapes bordering on 30° potential alcohol! This was a year like no other at Yquem: 25 hl/ha were produced, and the grapes averaged 22°!