of the lunch that I have had. Because, for the ones who know the people involved, they know what I mean.
As I am going to have a dinner in Chateau d’Yquem with my wines, I arrive early in the morning to let the bottles that I had brought one month ago, stand in the cool cellar. The temperature in Sauternes region is incredibly high, with a wet atmosphere.
I open the gift that I wanted to make to the staff of Yquem. It is a half bottle of 1893 Yquem, one of the greatest years ever. We meet in the small dining room of the castle. Here are Valérie, the efficient assistant of Pierre Lurton, and previously of Alexandre de Lur Saluces, Francis, the Technical Director, Sandrine, maître de chai, Antoine, in charge of the vines, and a little later Pierre-Yves chief accountant. We drink the 1893, and I see their eyes and their smiles. They work for the prestigious wine of Yquem, and this 1893 wine is the demonstration of the fame which goes around their wine. They know that it is famous, but there in their glass, they have the evidence of the reason of this fame, as this wine is perfect. The nose is incredible and Francis says : you can smell it at 3 metres distance from the glass. In mouth the attack is fat as the wine is heavy. The first taste is pink grape fruit, and goes towards coffee and caramel. The length is incredible. This is the perfect Yquem, I say it again, and Francis confirms it. As Pierre Lurton is not there I keep a glass of it that he will sip during our dinner. His word : “orgasmic”.
The length of this wine is prolonged in their smiles and their pride. It makes me happy.
I have invited Sandrine Garbay for lunch. She puts away the roof of her car and we drive in the heavy hot air towards Langon, by the restaurant of Claude Darroze. Many people in the same situation would have asked her to take with her a Yquem. I ask her to bring a Yquem red. The property produces on a small piece of land a red which is devoted to the people who crop at Yquem. There is a ceremony at the end of the crop and everyone drinks this red. Sandrine looks at me and says : “you know, it is not the type of wine you drink usually”. I insist.
We arrive in the restaurant and we drink 1997 Yquem red. I am proud. Of course, the wine is very limited, and even more, it is slightly corked. But I am happy and once again even more as all the vines of red wine have been put away. There will never be any red Yquem again.
I had ordered Ausone 1960. As it happens in restaurants, it is the last drops which are the best. We eat foie gras and sweetbread, and the sweet taste helps to enlarge the Ausone whose first drops were a little light and dusty. More and more the wine expands and it becomes a very elegant and distinguished Ausone.
Needless to say that the best taste of the lunch was to have shared a lunch alone with Sandrine Garbay. We have talked a lot about Yquem and wine in general. I was happy.
