When we say that Chateau d’Yquem is in a class of its own, we mean that literally – it gets the top tier in the 1855 classification of the white wines of the Gironde, Premier Cru Superieur, all to itself. And its terroir really does put it head and shoulders above other Sauternes properties – it stands at the highest point in the appellation, offering views all around. It’s a genuine advantage for the vines - that elevation allows the wind to remove excess moisture from the vines as noble rot settles in. Damp conditions can be the bane of Sauternes, but being on a sharp slope, Yquem enjoys excellent drainage.

Sweet wines were being made here as early as the 1500s, though they wouldn’t have been as sweet as the ones we enjoy in modern times. The Lur Saluces family arrived here in 1785, only just before the Revolution, and despite being thrown in prison several times, they managed not to have the property confiscated. The wine was already famous - in 1790, Thomas Jefferson ordered thirty dozen bottles of Yqeum for himself and George Washington. In both the First and Second World Wars, the medieval chateau was used as a military hospital. In 1966, Count Alexandre de Lur Saluces took the helm, but was to be the last of his family to manage the property. LVMH chairman Bernard Arnault started buying shares in Yquem from various de Lur Saluces family members, and amid a protracted, bitter legal battle eventually he acquired the majority holding. In 2004, LVMH appointed Pierre Lurton as Manager, a job at which he continues to excel today. Through all this, the reputation of Yquem as the world’s supreme sweet wine has remained untarnished.

The vineyard ratio is 80% Semillon to 20% Sauvignon Blanc, planted on deep, clay-coated limestone. In some places the roots of the vines reach down 10 metres. Like all Sauternes, Yquem depends on the successful proliferation of noble rot in the vineyard. That demands damp mornings followed by warm afternoons. Damp, foggy mornings come about naturally enough in Sauternes, when the cool Ciron river flows into the warm, tidal Garonne. If the sunny afternoons don’t follow, instead of noble rot, you end up with malevolent grey rot which splits and spoils the grapes.

Harvest is a complicated operation, with some 200 pickers making up to 10 passes through the vineyard. Grapes are never harvested in the rain, or in the morning (to avoid dew). Final yields average 10hl/ha (hectolitres per hectare). That means that each vine only delivers one glass of wine per vintage.

It’s not all sweet – Yquem also makes a dry white, called Y de Yquem. (The name is also often rendered as ‘Ygrec’, French for the letter ‘Y’). It is made from grapes picked at the start of the harvest, rather than the end, usually a blend of 75% Sauvignon Blanc and 25% Semillon. (NT 18/08/25)