Chateau d'Yquem

About Château d'Yquem

Yquem occupies a rise above the Ciron valley in Sauternes, where autumn mists off the cold river meet warmer afternoons and encourage botrytis, the fungus that shrivels ripe grapes and concentrates what is left. The vineyard is planted to roughly four fifths Sémillon and one fifth Sauvignon Blanc, and pickers pass through it again and again over several weeks, taking only the berries ready that day. Yields are famously small, traditionally described as a single glass of wine from each vine. The Lur-Saluces family held the estate for more than four centuries before LVMH acquired control in 1999.

Sauternes is the one part of Bordeaux where rot is deliberately encouraged. Our Sauternes Wines and Bordeaux Wines pages cover the neighboring châteaux, and Collectible Wines holds the wider selection.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Y, or Ygrec, from Yquem?

The estate's dry white wine, made from the same vineyard in years when conditions allow. It is a different proposition entirely from the sweet wine, drier and more mineral, and it is produced in small quantity.

Why does Yquem skip some vintages?

When botrytis fails to develop properly, or rain dilutes the crop, the estate declassifies the entire harvest rather than release a lesser wine. 1952, 1964, 1972, 1974, 1992 and 2012 were all abandoned. That is a rare decision in Bordeaux and it is part of why the name carries what it does.

What is noble rot?

Botrytis cinerea, a fungus that punctures the skin of ripe grapes and lets water evaporate, leaving sugar, acid and flavour behind in concentrated form. It requires damp mornings and dry afternoons in sequence, which is why only a handful of places in the world produce it reliably.

How long does Yquem age?

Decades, and often a century. Sugar and acidity together preserve the wine far beyond the life of any dry white. Bottles from the nineteenth century still turn up in drinkable condition, though condition and provenance decide everything at that age.