Château d’Yquem 1959

A short history of Chateau d’Yquem

Château d’Yquem in Sauternes stands out as the only wine classified as Premier Cru Supérieur in the 1855 classification.

Château d’Yquem almost had English origins.

During the Middle Ages, the King of England, who was also Duke of Aquitaine at the time, owned the estate.

In 1453, Charles VII regained southwest France under the dominion of the French crown and has kept it French ever since.

A century and a half later, in 1593, Jacques Sauvage, a descendant of a local noble family, received feudal tenure over Yquem.

The Gironde department archives, as well as those of the château, indicate that special winegrowing practices and late harvesting already existed at this time.

Furthermore, the château has hosted a vineyard since at least 1711, when Léon de Sauvage d’Yquem fully owned the estate.

Subsequently, in 1785, Françoise-Joséphine de Sauvage d’Yquem married Count Louis-Amédée de Lur-Saluces, and the estate passed to the Lur-Saluces family.

Notably, their descendants managed the property for over 200 years.

In fact, by the eighteenth century, people already recognized its wine as renowned.

After centuries of family ownership, Louis Vuitton-Moët-Hennessy purchased d’Yquem in 2000.

Then, in 2004, Pierre Lurton, MD at Château Cheval Blanc (another LVMH property), assumed control.

On average, only 65,000 bottles are produced each year at Château d’Yquem Sauternes.

Moreover, the yield never exceeds 900 litres per hectare, compared to the usual 2,000 to 3,000 litres in Sauternes.

Interestingly, the legend states that just one glass of wine comes from each vine.