Controversial wine collector Hardy Rodenstock makes his point perfectly clear in a record-setting tasting of the famous Sauternes
By Per-Henrik Mansson
It was an electric moment during an unprecedented vertical tasting of Château d'Yquem.Two glasses filled with inestimably rare wine were eased across the tablecloth as smoothly as chips at a roulette table. These glasses came on the sixth and final day of a 125-vintage Yquem marathon hosted by German wine dealer and collector Hardy Rodenstock, a devotee of this esteemed Sauternes estate's product.
There is such a concept as "drinking history," I thought. The two amber-colored Sauternes waiting to be tasted were made before the French Revolution. That these two vintages of Yquem came from two of the world's most controversial bottles of wine only turned up the voltage.
To my left was the "Th.J." 1784 Yquem and to my right stood a glass with the "Th.J." 1787. The initials are engraved in the bottles and are supposed to prove that Thomas Jefferson had ordered them. A serious enophile, the framer of the American Declaration of Independence bought Yquem and other top Bordeaux and had many cases shipped home.
But questions about the wines' provenance--and authenticity--have generated a heated debate. Rodenstock has stoked the controversy by refusing to give any details beyond a vague description of a cellar in Paris, "closed off by a brick wall," where he was led to a cache of "Th.J." bottles. To collectors convinced by the presidential linkage, however, each bottle may justify dropping upward of $100,000 at auction, if Rodenstock ever decides to sell the remaining bottles he claims he has.
Few had actually drunk these wines--that is, until this day last September in Munich, when Rodenstock opened the wines for two dozen tasters gathered at the Hotel Königshof. Amazingly, they didn't taste over-the-hill or oxidized.
The 1784 tasted as if it were decades younger, perhaps from the mid-1800s, which was a golden era for Yquem, to judge from the results of this vertical tasting. I rated this 1784 outstanding (93 points on Wine Spectator's 100-point scale). It wasn't just a curiosity--an ancient wine that had "held up"--but actually drank wonderfully, with tropical, dried apricot, honey and truffle aromas and flavors, and a round and harmonious, still-sweet finish. The 1787 (81 points) was clean but showed the passage of two centuries in its faded fruit flavors and a dry, tart finish. (For my complete tasting notes on all these wines, turn to page 190 of the Buying Guide.)
In any other tasting, a flight with two such legendary old wines would have stolen the show. Not so here. Flight No. 25 was just another workout session among 28 Yquem flights, in a week that scaled many peaks. (We also tasted many flights of other top wines--including a vertical, spread over several days, of the Pomerol estate Château Lafleur.)
What wine estate anywhere in the world has a longer, richer, finer track record for making great wines than Château d'Yquem? None. That seems the only logical response in the face of so many great wines. I rated 20 wines outstanding (90-94 points) and another 20 wines classic (95-100), including four that earned a perfect 100 points: 1811 (the "Comet vintage"), 1834, 1859 and 1967. They represented Yquem at its best--full-bodied and sweet but not cloying, with fresh acidity, complex, intense dried-fruit flavors from noble rot and above all, opulent texture and an ultrasmooth finish.
The legendary 1921 should have been a shoo-in as a 100-point wine, but I found the bottle imperfect despite great richness, and rated it 74 points, lower than some other participants. "This wine isn't perfect," agreed Rodenstock, who has tasted better bottles before, "but it's delicious on the palate."
It's a foregone conclusion that several bottles will be bad when you review so many old wines, especially if they come from difficult vintages. Indeed, I rated almost a quarter of the wines average or poor, scoring them 79 points or below. That amounts to 30 wines, which compares to the 40 wines I rated outstanding or classic, and 51 that I rated good to very good (80 to 89). (The last six wines were tasted with dinner on the last day of the tasting; unfortunately, I was unable to attend.)
A handful were simply corked and tasted moldy. Others clearly suffered from bottle variation; this was the reason for the poor showing of the celebrated 1962 vintage (75 points). It was totally overshadowed by a lovely bottle from 1965 (92), although that's considered a mediocre vintage in Sauternes. "It's the world upside-down," commented French journalist Michel Bettane of La Revue du Vin de France. Added Michael Broadbent of Christie's, "This is a risky business because the bottles are very variable."
Previous megaverticals of Yquem have consisted of about 100 vintages. In plumbing even greater depths in this record-breaking tasting, Rodenstock sought to show that Yquem is unquestionably the world's most collectible wine, as defined by the impressive number of wines it has produced in the last two centuries, the high prices it fetches at auctions and the number of old vintages that still drink beautifully. But vindicating himself was just as important to Rodenstock, who also holds a personal record of sorts--that of being the world's most controversial collector.
Rodenstock stayed focused, like a stern schoolmaster, during the tasting sessions. They started at 10 a.m. sharp every day, and latecomers were scolded. He threatened to throw out anybody caught spitting the wines--"you don't spit away history; you drink it," he admonished--although Broadbent and a few others, myself included, hid spittoons in our laps or under the table.
Minimizing alcohol intake, even if it required spitting out 1896 Yquem (95 points), seemed the only way to stay sharp and sober during six days of conspicuous consumption--Rodenstock's 18th annual Rare Wine Tasting. Besides the Yquem vertical, another 100 of the world's finest wines were enjoyed during multiflight, multicourse gourmet lunches and dinners prepared by Königshof's talented kitchen staff, headed by its creative chef de cuisine, Martin Bräuer. One typical dinner featured 1986 Trimbach Riesling Clos Ste.--Hune, followed by five Montrachets going back to 1945, then Château Lafleur 1970, 1971 and 1978, followed by Château Lafite Rothschild 1947, 1952, 1962 and 1990, and finally by Yquem 1979 (93 points) and 1981 (80 points).
The morning Yquem tastings took place in silence. The format was educational, the atmosphere studious. Rodenstock provided photos of the bottles so we could study the fill of each wine and thus gauge potential oxidation problems. He addressed the quality of each vintage. He passed around corks (on a silver plate when they had crumbled) of the oldest wines--the better to demonstrate their authenticity.
When relevant, Rodenstock gave the dates on which wines had been recorked. We blind-tasted, from the same vintages, bottles that had been recorked against bottles with the original cork, then voted on our favorite. Flight No. 6 showed how recorking can harm a wine. The 1929 Yquem with the original cork (97 points) was very supple and creamy, showing amazing purity of fruit and a long, pineapple-flavored finish. By comparison, a 1929 bottle that had been recorked (80 points) showed some drying cedar notes and lacked a bit of harmony despite tasting ripe. It was the same story with two 1928 bottles--the recorked one was inferior.
We also compared Yquems made before and after the phylloxera epidemic that destroyed European vineyards in the second half of the 19th century. We compared pre-phylloxera wines with post-phylloxera versions made 100 years later. A bottle of 1834 (100 points), an "exceptional" vintage in Sauternes, won handily over the 1934 (83), a vintage classified as "very good" in the appellation. The older wine tasted infinitely more concentrated and complex than the younger one.
In another extraordinary flight, again comparing wines a century apart, a pre-phylloxera wine--1814--again won the approval of the group. In each pairing--1814 (98) vs 1914 (83), 1818 (91) vs. 1918 (90), 1822 (74) vs. 1922 (83)--the older wine won out. "There's no vote for a 20th century wine," said Rodenstock, after asking for our favorite. "The pre-phylloxera wines are the best."
Rodenstock, 58, has unruly, dark hair that is graying and thinning. His epicurean love for great food and wine shows in a paunch he hides behind a smartly tailored suit. He speaks softly, almost in a whisper, and disarms you with his easy, boyish charm, expressed in an impish smile and warm, small, blue eyes that glint from behind gold-rimmed glasses.
Throughout the affair, he served wines worth a fortune for free, playing host to a crowd that swelled from the early two dozen tasters to more than four dozen guests during a gala finale, when large bottles of famous wines were poured. He invited auctioneers, journalists, collectors, businessmen, associates, winemakers like Angelo Gaja of Piedmont and celebrities like German soccer legend Franz Beckenbauer. They came from London, Hong Kong, San Francisco, New York, Paris, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Belgium and all over Germany. Rodenstock said he was simply happy to share good wines with other wine lovers.
Nobody can doubt Rodenstock's passion for great wines. When the best wines were poured, he'd jump up from his seat and joyfully walk around his guests, affectionately ruffling their hair or making some other physical contact while repeating excitedly, "Ja, unglaublich [yes, incredible]. 100 points! 100 points!"
But the host had a hidden agenda when he pitted older vs. younger wines in these eye-opening flights. He wanted to make a point--and to do so he put on this monumental Yquem tasting.
Rodenstock has been portrayed as generous, knowledgeable and passionate, but also--and these labels have stung--secretive, opportunistic and self-serving. His uncanny ability to unearth old, very rare wines (often in large formats) may not have raised so many questions about their provenance and authenticity had it not been for Rodenstock's dual role: He's not only a big wine collector, but also a trader of old wines. It's in this latter capacity that Rodenstock has become vulnerable to conflict-of-interest accusations.
Throughout the tasting, some participants were on their guard against potential counterfeit bottles, but few wines raised suspicions. The exception involved an 1858 with aromas and flavors that were unusual for an Yquem. The wine seemed flavored with vanilla concentrate, as it offered a pronounced taste of a raspberry and whipped cream pastry. "I don't think this is right," said Broadbent of the 1858. "Something is wrong." While it seemed out of character, the wine was still balanced and delicious, and I rated it outstanding (92 points).
Rodenstock has drawn much attention to himself with a thesis that essentially comes down to this: For all the current enthusiasm about modern wines, there's been a general decline of viticulture and winemaking in the 20th century compared to the 18th and 19th centuries, to say nothing of the weaker wines that this century's developments have produced.
His argument, however, has been lost in a debate about his own motivations in making this point in the first place. After all, it's well-known that Rodenstock owns many old bottles--most famously the controversial "Th.J." bottles, along with Yquems and great red Bordeaux from the 19th century--and their resale value would increase if he's right.
Rodenstock denies his position has anything to do with commercial interests. In the 1970s and 1980s, he made money as a rock group manager and promoter, and in recent years he's made a killing in the stock market, he says. He and his wife, Helga, live a jet-set life, with homes in Munich, Monaco and Kitzbühel, Austria. He doesn't need to sell wine for a living, nor does he trade much anymore, he insists.
What does motivate him, however, is winning a debate of historic significance to the wine world. And he's ready to go to almost any length to make his case, as he demonstrated by his hosting of this unprecedented Yquem tasting.
"I've always said that compared to the pre-phylloxera wines, the post-phylloxera wines had lost some complexity because the vines planted after phylloxera were from American rootstocks, and this didn't create as powerful wines," he says. "In the pre-phylloxera wines of Yquem, you find more flavors, more caramel, more singularity, more power, more class."
In the old days, he adds, the wine may have been made by rustic techniques, but they used "good material [grapes], little pesticides, old vines, good rootstocks, no filtration--and it shows in how the 100- to 120-year-old wines can live."
The tasting seems to prove his theory true. Of my own eight highest-scoring wines, all but one (1967, 100 points) was from the 19th century: 1814 and 1831 (both 98), 1840 and 1847 (both 99) and the trio of 100-point wines--1811, 1834, 1859. Of the 20 wines I rated classic, 11 were from the 19th century, even though that century represented less than one-third of the wines I sampled (38 vintages compared to 79 from the 20th century and two from the 18th century).
Some of the criticism leveled at Rodenstock has originated, he says, from château owners and other wine professionals who feel threatened by his argument. "Château owners would never admit that pre-phylloxera wines are better, but they know they are better," the German said. "They must hype newer, more modern wines."
Relaxing with a Robusto cigar from the "Hardy Rodenstock" line he launched recently, he continued: "I invited a few journalists so they could tell the whole world how good the wines are, because we have drunk them. We have drunk a lot of history. It was important to do a big tasting in one week and not spread it out over a longer period like a year or so, because if you drink them over a couple of years, you can't remember [Yquem] 1800 vs 1900. But if you drink them in one week, you can remember the differences.
"Pre-phylloxera wines were different, and I proved it, such as when we blind-tasted the 1934 [Yquem] vs. the 1834 and other similar flights," he added. "I've said it before [about the superiority of pre-phylloxera wines], and now nobody can challenge it. Nobody can say Hardy Rodenstock doesn't know what he's talking about, and you're all my witnesses.
"So now it's done. It's over with."
The Source of Yquem's Quality
The Bordeaux classification of 1855 was right on the money when it gave Château d'Yquem No. 1 status in Sauternes by designating it the only premier cru supérieur in front of 11 estates ranked as mere premiers crus. The great quality of Yquem's wine stems from a unique microclimate but also from the careful husbandry demonstrated by the Lur Saluces family, who have owned it since 1785.
In late 1996, a majority of Yquem's family shareholders decided to sell 55 percent of Yquem to LVMH Moët-Hennessy Louis Vuitton. But the estate's director, Count Alexandre de Lur Saluces, has sued to reverse the transaction. The case is still being litigated, and LVMH has so far won only a minority ownership in the estate.
The most ancient part of the château dates to the 15th century. Yquem stands on the crest of a hill--at 225 feet, the highest in the Sauternes region--and from this point the vines slope down softly. The property, covering more than 400 acres, includes pine woods and meadows, but its centerpiece is 254 acres of well-tended vineyards, planted 80 percent to Sémillon and 20 percent to Sauvignon Blanc.
When autumnal mists blanket the vines, the grapes develop a beneficial fungus--Botrytis cinerea, a.k.a. "noble rot"--that causes the grapes to dry out and shrivel up, which in turn concentrates the grapes' sugar and flavors.
It's risky to wait until the vineyard is covered with noble rot, since rain might fall and ruin the crop. But the tradition is upheld at Yquem, whose late harvest begins between mid-October and mid-November, depending on the vintage. To pick the grapes at optimum ripeness, the pickers select only the ripest grapes, going through the vineyards several times--a costly undertaking. The harvest might consist of five or six passages, known as tries, and last 40 days.
The motto "quality at any cost" seems to define Alexandre de Lur Saluces' policy since taking over the company in 1968. He will skip part or all of a vintage that doesn't meet his high standards for Yquem. (Other Sauternes estates do the same.) Yquem rejected 100 percent of the crop in 1972, '74 and '92. Yields remain low--reportedly averaging 7 hectoliters per hectare, although Sauternes regulations allow 25 hectoliters per hectare--and, as the château boasts, "each vine yields just one glass of Yquem."
After triple-pressing--the last pressing yields the highest sugar content--the must is barrel-fermented in new oak from France or Slovenia, then aged for three years. Yquem today remains in peak form, as shown by its two latest releases: 1990 (97, $225, 18,750 cases) and 1989 (97, $200, 12,500 cases.) --P.M.
Château d'Yquem Sauternes Vertical Tasting
Vintage / Score / Price
1989 / 97 / $192
1987 / 88 / $109
1986 / 83 / $198
1985 / 94 / $116
1984 / 84 / $106
1982 / 85 / $220
1981 / 80 / $82
1980 / 86 / $105
1979 / 93 / $119
1978 / 83 / $75
1977 / 80 / $276
1976 / 96 / $244
1975 / 95 / $389
1973 / 75 / $124
1971 / 93 / $227
1970 / 84 / $288
1969 / 85 / $206
1968 / 79 / $225
1967 / 100 / $466
1966 / 84 / $239
1965 / 92 / $137
1963 / 83 / $210
1962 / 75 / $483
1961 / 65 / $268
1959 / 97 / $840
1958 / 87 / $445
1957 / 90 / $345
1956 / 90 / $405
1955 / 88 / $513
1954 / 90 / $452
1953 / 78 / $599
1950 / 93 / $498
1949 / 94 / $959
1948 / 88 / $904
1947 / 97 / $873
1946 / 80 / $599
1945 / 95 / $1,133
1944 / 79 / $862
1943 / 88 / $348
1942 / 82 / $477
1941 / 91 / $665
1940 / 88 / $451
1939 / 89 / $560
1938 / 95 / $451
1937 / 94 / $1,153
1936 / 84 / $517
1935 / 81 / $352
1934 / 83 / $541
1933 / 72 / $690
1932 / 85 / $592
1931 / 74 / $440
1929 / 80 / $816
1929 / 97 / $816
1928 / 60 / $739
1928 / 89 / $739
1927 / 85 / $488
1926 / 72 / $605
1925 / 86 / $413
1924 / 74 / $516
1923 / 70 / $691
1922 / 83 / $722
1921 / 74 / $3,599
1920 / 86 / $649
1919 / 55 / $667
1918 / 90 / $920
1917 / 74 / $488
1916 / 60 / $862
1914 / 83 / $721
1913 / 86 / $562
1912 / 82 / $420
1911 / 81 / $530
1909 / 70 / $1,152
1908 / 75 / $840
1907 / 55 / $673
1906 / 90 / $1,008
1905 / 89 / $1,101
1904 / 79 / $1,201
1903 / 89 / $930
1902 / 77 / $937
1901 / 84 / $1,183
1900 / 83 / $3,464
1899 / 91 / $1,814
1896 / 95 / $1,336
1895 / 65 / $2,747
1894 / 70 / $1,513
1893 / 83 / $1,643
1892 / 55 / $1,150
1891 / 55 / $1,263
1890 / 90 / $2,339
1888 / 77 / $4,009
1887 / 75 / $2,386
1886 / 87 / $2,864
1876 / 88 / $3,049
1875 / 96 / $2,291
1874 / 93 / $2,291
1870 / 89 / $2,004
1869 / 96 / $4,009
1868 / 83 / $1,623
1865 / 83 / $7,498
1864 / 76 / $5,624
1861 / 95 / $1,100
1859 / 100 / $7,254
1858 / 92 / $10,500
1851 / 90 / $2,864
1848 / 65 / $10,500
1847 / 99 / $15,272
1846 / 80 / $15,272
1841 / 87 / $NA
1840 / 99 / $NA
1838 / 83 / $15,272
1834 / 100 / $NA
1831 / 98 / $18,136
1828 / 84 / $NA
1825 / 80 / $19,090
1822 / 74 / $19,090
1818 / 91 / $NA
1814 / 98 / $NA
1811 / 100 / $30,544
1802 / 80 / $NA
1787 / 81 / $NA
1784 / 93 / $NA
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