Vin Château d'Yquem

The history of Château d'Yquem is like a novel, an epic saga spanning more than four centuries, full of events and personalities. In the Middle Ages, the estate actually belonged to the King of England, who was also the Duke of Aquitaine at the time. In 1453, southwestern France was again brought under the rule of the French crown by Charles VII and has remained French ever since. A century and a half later, in 1593, a scion of a local noble family, Jacques Sauvage, was given feudal tenure over the Yquem estate. The archives of the Gironde department, as well as those of the château, show that special viticulture practices and late harvesting already existed at this time. A few years later, the Sauvage family built the château and patiently set about establishing today's vineyard, plot by plot. The family became full owners of the Yquem estate in 1711, during the reign of Louis XIV (by which time they had received peerage). In 1785, Françoise Joséphine de Sauvage d'Yquem married Count Louis Amédée de Lur-Saluces. Three years later, in 1788, the count died in a riding accident. His young widow thus became the head of the family and showed extraordinary shrewdness in the management of the estate. The wine was already highly appreciated by famous connoisseurs of the period, such as Thomas Jefferson. A staunch opponent of the excesses of the French Revolution and despite being imprisoned twice, Françoise Joséphine managed to keep the family property and make the Yquem estate prosperous. She built a new winery in 1826 with its manager Garos – a bold step at the time – turning the estate into a real business and developing its international reputation.

At the end of the 20th century, thanks to the impetuosity of Bernard Arnault, Château d'Yquem - a true monument and among the greatest wines of France - was acquired by LVMH Moët Hennessy-Louis Vuitton. This marked a new chapter in the history of the Château. Since then, he has continued to promote the authenticity of the estate, its openness to modernity and the expertise of the winemaking team.