Sauternes by Château d'Yquem: #3 & #5 & 2006 Hauner Malvasia delle Lipari - Sauternes, Sicilien - 2 half bottles (37.5cl) & 1 jennie (50cl)

The estate

Château d’Yquem's reputation has been built over 400 years, with a high point in 1855 when it was recognised as a Premier Cru Classé Supérieur in the official classification established by request of Emperor Napoleon III for the Paris Exposition Universelle. The only wine estate to have achieved this honour, Yquem sits unchallenged among the legendary great wines.

The vines

Château d’Yquem has around one hundred hectares in production, planted with 75% Semillon and 25% Sauvignon Blanc. The Ciron, a tributary of the Garonne River that is essential to the creation of Sauternes wines, provides an exceptional micro-climate for the vines on the estate. It is, in fact, thanks to the action of the autumnal morning mists, just before the harvest, which leads to the appearance of the Botrytis Cinerea “noble rot”. Other than the characteristics of the “terroir” and climate, Château d’Yquem's reputation also owes much to expertise and excellence. With a drastically limited yield, Château d’Yquem produces Sauternes wines made prestigious by their rarity.

Sauternes 3: Batches of 4 vintages from 2011 to 2016, bottled in 2017
Sauternes 5: Batches of 3 vintages from 2014 to 2016, bottled in 2019

2006 Hauner 0,5 L :
Malvasia delle Lipari from the Hauner winery is a sweet, fresh and aromatic raisin wine produced in Lingua on the island of Salina, part of the Aeolian archipelago, in Sicily. This label is obtained from Malvasia di Lipari grapes, almost in purity, plus a small percentage of Corinto Nero from vineyards with slopes between 20 and 35 percent located between 50 and 100 meters above sea level. The vines are trained on the espalier system with the modified guyot method on soils of volcanic origin characterized by calcareous soils rich in organic substances and mineral elements. The winery is a family-run business, owner of about 20 hectares of vineyards, founded forty years ago by the Brescian designer Carlo Hauner who made it a point of reference for the entire Sicilian and national wine scene.
Malvasia Passita delle Lipari by Hauner is produced with carefully selected grapes that are hand-picked late, when they are fully ripe. The bunches are then left to dry on canizzi in the open air for 15-20 days before being pressed in order to carry out the alcoholic fermentation which takes place slowly in stainless steel tanks at a controlled temperature for a few weeks. This is how the wine is drawn off and aged for at least 18 months in stainless steel containers before being bottled and continuing its maturation in the bottle for a further six months before being put on the market.
Malvasia Hauner has a beautiful bright amber yellow color. Intense aromas of ripe yellow fruit and dried fruit appear on the nose, including apricots, dried figs and dates, floral notes of chamomile and aromatic herbs, spicy hints of sweet spices, and then veer on nuances of honey and Nougat. In the mouth it is full, intense, sweet and persuasive, characterized by a velvety softness and a great freshness that supports it giving it stability. This passito from the Hauner winery is an imposing and gentle sweet wine, broad and of great finesse with a pleasantly honeyed and nutty finish.

The bottles in the pictures is exactly the bottles you will receive at home.