chateau yquem

Chateau d'Yquem: Nectar of the Gods

Filed under: Wine

Chateau d'Yquem Sauternes
Many French wines boast an extensive history, but the sweet dessert wine of Chateau d'Yquem traces its heritage all the way back to the 16th Century – part of the reason it's a Luxist nominee in the best international white wine category.

In 1593, a nobleman named Jacques Sauvage gained control of the feudal territory of Yquem, where noteworthy winegrowing techniques were starting to take root. Toward the beginning of the 17th Century, the Sauvage family consolidated the vineyards and built the chateau that still stands today.

Gallery: Chateau d'Yquem Sauternes

As the years went on, Chateau d'Yquem's reputation made its way around the world. In the 19th Century, the wine became a favorite in Meiji dynasty Japan and in Imperial Russia, where the Tsar's brother paid 20,000 gold francs for a barrel of Chateau d'Yquem. At the start of World War I, the chateau was temporarily converted into a military hospital; during World War II, the head of the family was taken prisoner for two years before returning to France to bring Chateau d'Yquem to new heights.

Luxury goods conglomerate LVMH became the house's main shareholder in 1999, installing Bordeaux wine expert Pierre Lurton as the estate's manager. Other than that, not much has changed – and today, Chateau d'Yquem Sauternes remains one of the most beloved dessert wines in the world.

Vote for the winemaker that you think is the best of breed. The voting period ends on June 30th, with winners announced on July 1, 2010.

Tags: Awards-Main, Chateau dYquem, Chateau dYquem Sauternes, chateau yquem, Luxist-Awards

The World's Most Expensive White Wine

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine

A record for the world's most expensive bottle of white wine has been set with a $90,000 1787 Sauternes from Château d'Yquem. Stephen Williams, Managing Director of Antique Wine Company said that the company has been "working for some time on this commission and the purchaser is a long standing customer of ours." The client is a U.S.-based wine collector and the wine was sold by a private collector in France. The bottle has been inspected and re-corked several times during the past century. The grapes were picked when George Washington became the first President of the U.S. and so the wine has value as a piece of history regardless over whether the wine itself has held up through time. Williams is taking no chances getting the wine to the client. He picked it up from France in his private plane and will fly it over to the U.S. to personally hand it to the new owner.

Source

Tags: chateau yquem, expensive wine, sauternes, white wine, wine