A mythical estate and a legendary wine. Four centuries of history and the history of a wine made from gold! It isn’t until the middle of the fifteenth century that the estate passes from the being under the protection of the Dukes of Aquitaine to that of the Kings of France. It could have been English! In the eighteenth century, the Lady of Yquem, Françoise Joséphine de Sauvage d’Yquem, a young widow, took over the reins of the estate with a rare talent. She had a wine store built and developed the trade of her wine abroad. Her wine was much appreciated by Thomas Jefferson and President George Washington. In the nineteenth century, the estate was upgraded to Premier Cru Supérieur. The Grand Duke Constantin, brother of the Tsar of Russia, bought a wooden cask of Chateau d’Yquem and paid 20 000 gold francs for it. A wine that is worth all the gold in the world! Up until 1999, Count Alexandre de Lur Saluces, a worthy descendant of Françoise Josephine, followed in her footsteps upholding his personal creed that was preserving a heritage that spanned four centuries and to consecrate the reputations of his wines. The writers François Mauriac, Alexandre Dumas, Jules Verne, Marcel Proust and Colette render homage to the divine bottle, gold and honey liqueur, with an immense array of aromas. Dried fruit, hints of spice, cinnamon, safron, lime tree liquorice, toasted zest, an entire composition, which reveals itself little by little during the tasting such a sublime piece of Mozart’s music. Now, under the ownership of LVMH/Moêt Hennessy, Louis Vuitton has handed over the management of the estate to Pierre Lurton. A great wine connoisseur for a great wine, it is a good mix and Pierre is heading towards modernity whilst still respecting its great tradition.
The style of the château’s estate is a halfway between simple peasant architecture and stately medieval castle. The park is open to visitors to ramble through at will from Monday to Saturday. Visits only by written request. info@yquem.fr www.chateau-yquem.fr
