First organic vintage for Château d’Yquem in 2022 🤞

f all goes well, Château d'Yquem will produce, as planned, its first certified organic vintage in 2022. The announcement was made on 16 February, during a tasting of the 2019 vintage (available from 22 March) at Wine Paris & Vinexpo Paris. 2022 will be organic, at least if the 1855-classified Grand Cru wards off the curse of vintages ending in 2 – there were no Château d'Yquem-labelled releases for the 2012, 1992 and 1972 vintages. The wines were indeed downgraded due to a perceived lack of quality. “It’s more like a curse every 20 years”, joked Sandrine Garbay, the cellar master at Château d'Yquem, who pointed to counter-examples in 2002 and 1982.

“Organic farming is part of our overarching approach to the environment and agronomy”, explained Lorenzo Pasquini, operations manager at Château d'Yquem, referring to a reduction in tillage (and increase in ground cover), use of plant protection sprays adapted to the canopy (using Diimotion infrared sensors) and the reduction in the property’s carbon footprint, with the arrival of the first electric tractor this vintage.