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Château d'Yquem
The Château |
The Architectural
Model |
The Wine
Cabinet
History
Château d’Yquem is considered by many to be Bordeaux’s single greatest wine and
it is the only wine in France to hold the Premier Cru Superieur (Great First Growth)
designation. The uncompromising pursuit of quality is what sets this sweet white
wine apart – a standard meticulously maintained throughout the estate’s history.
The Château was built in the 16th and 17th centuries by the Sauvage d’Yquem family who
came into possession of the estate in 1592. Nearly 200 years later, the Lur-Saluces family
acquired the Château by marriage when, in 1785, Joséphine d'Yquem married Comte Louis Amédée
de Lur Saluces.
It was under this new ownership that the vineyard flourished. Widowed only three years
later at a young age, Joséphine d'Yquem transformed the estate into a highly efficient
business with an international reputation. To accommodate the subsequent increase in
demand that occurred with an increasing number of high-profile consumers, including the
likes of Thomas Jefferson and the Tsars of Russia, a new cellar was built in 1826. This
expansion was followed by a long period of prosperity for the Lur-Saluces family and Château d’Yquem.
In 1999, the Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy group acquired a majority interest in the
estate after members of the Lur-Saluces family disposed of their shares. In 2004, the
group took the astute decision to appoint Pierre Lurton as manager of the estate, replacing
Comte Alexandre de Lur Saluces. Lurton was prompt in making Château d’Yquem available
en primeur, rapidly increasing the demand for this golden nectar.
Order top vintages of Château d'Yquem