Don’t Buy Into The Yquem Frenzy

Last week saw the much-anticipated release of Yquem 2001. With few excitingreleases of note this year, this was always going to create something of a frenzy.

Last week saw the much-anticipated release of Yquem 2001. With few exciting releases of note this year, this was always going to create something of a frenzy. The 2001 vintage is certainly the best from Sauternes in a generation and Yquem made one of the all-time greats. This, at any rate, is the view of Robert Parker, who thinks "this large-scaled, youthful Yquem appears set to take its place among the most legendary vintages of the past, and will age effortlessly for 75-plus years". The fact that he also gave it 100 Robert Parker (RP) points pretty much guaranteed huge demand and, inevitably, a high price.

Interest in 2001 Sauternes has already been widespread. Other top-rated 2001s, such as Climens (RP 100), Rieussec (RP 99) and Suduiraut (RP 98), have been among the biggest price risers (up by between two and three times) over the past two years. These wines are all already more expensive than any stock available in the last 25 vintages. For this reason, Yquem 2001 was always likely to open at a stratospheric level and then get more expensive. And it has. The wine began trading in the secondary market at £2,300 and hit £2,550 within two days. Indeed, there are reports of trade sales as high as £2,900.

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