Château d'Yquem 2016 is a Sémillon-led Sauternes from Bordeaux with real lift to it, sweet and viscous without ever sitting heavily on the tongue. The Château d'Yquem 2016 blend is 75 per cent Sémillon and 25 per cent Sauvignon Blanc.

Apricot, quince and candied citrus peel lead the aromatics, backed by honey, beeswax and a faint caramel warmth. The palate follows with glacé pineapple and dried mango, and there is a savoury, saffron-like edge underneath the fruit that keeps the sweetness honest.

The 2016 season shaped this: a blisteringly hot, dry late summer had the grapes fully ripe before light September rain brought botrytis on cleanly, with almost no grey rot to contend with and a long, unhurried picking. The result in the glass is purity and sweet fruit ahead of high-toned aromatics, with acidity that runs the length of the wine and cuts the unctuousness. Texture is silky rather than syrupy, and the finish is long, citrus-edged and clean.

Serve it cool, around 14°C, and it does more than dessert duty — try it with a mature Roquefort, a terrine of foie gras, or roast duck with stone fruit. Tarte Tatin and crème brûlée work too, provided the pudding is no sweeter than the wine.

Drinking beautifully now for its fruit and freshness, and structured to keep for decades in a good cellar — Yquem is famously slow to reach its full maturity, so there is no rush on any bottle you set aside.