Chateau d'Yquem

Chateau d'Yquem was established in December of 1593 when Jacques de Sauvage exchanged other properties that he owned for the 'House of Yquem'. Sauvage acquired Yquem from the French monarchy.

In 1785, during the reign of Louis XVI, Francoise Josephine de Sauvage (the "Lady of Yquem") married Louis Amedee de Lur Saluces. He was the godson of Louis XV and Lady Victoire de France. Monsieur Lur Saluces died just 3 years later but his wife focused her energies on improving and caring for the Chateau and the surrounding estate. Her efforts established the real basis for the estate that we know today. The size of Chateau d'Yquem was the same in 1788 as it is today.

Through the efforts of successive generations of the Lur Saluces family, the property gained in quality and prestige. It is a very remarkable story considering that the estate managed to stay intact and with such a tremendous reputation from the time of Louis XVI to Napoleon III and through the French Revolution. Of particular note were the efforts of Romain-Bertrand (grandson of the "Lady of Yquem") and his grandson Bertrand. It was mostly through their direction that Chateau d'Yquem became the commercial property that it is today.

In World War I, the Chateau was used as a militrary hospital. Lists of the soldiers treated there are available at d'Yquem today.

After a bitter split in the Lur Saluces family in the late 1990's, Chateau d'Yquem was purchased by a subsidiary of the LVMH group (Louis Vitton - Moet - Hennesy). Count A. de Lur Saluces still works with the property and maintains the levels of quality that have set this estate above all others in the region.

Noble Rot

Semi-sweet and sweet wines are made around the world from a number of grape varieties grown in different ways on a wide range of terroirs. The grapes are picked and fermented in many diverse ways as well...
However, very few sweet wines are made with grapes affected by Botrytis cinerea, the microscopic fungus which is normally a scourge, but can be transformed into "noble rot" under certain conditions.
A special set of circumstances calling for alternating wet (during which botrytis proliferates) and dry periods (which concentrates the juice by removing water) are required for Botrytis cinerea to turn into noble rot. In effect, the fungus lives on water and certain nutrients in grapes.
The grape skin shrivels, while the sugar and acid levels increase. Concentration thanks to Botrytis cinerea also adds much more aromatic complexity than simply ripening in the sun as with raisined or late harvest wines.
The following regions are among the most famous for their sweet late-harvest white wines: Alsace, the Loire Valley, Germany and Austria (Trockenbeerenauslese), and Hungary (Tokaj).