Chateau
d'Yquem was a royal estate of the King of England, having been part of the
estates of Eleanor of Aquitane who married Henry Plantagenet (who later became
Henry II). The French re-acquired the estate at the end of the Hundred Years'
War in 1453 and it became the property of Jacques de Sauvage in 1593. In 1785
the chateau became the property of the Lur-Saluces family through marriage, and
they owned it until the majority ownership of the property was bought by the
French luxury group LVMH at the end of 1996.
Chateau Yquem is arguably the most famous French sweet wine and part of this is to do with its merciless quality control. Since every year is different, selection of the harvest means that varying amounts of the crop will end up being sold as Yquem. In the best years, the whole crop qualifies such as in 1967, 1976, 1989 (above) and 1990, whilst in poor years the whole crop is deemed unworthy of the Yquem name and no Yquem was made such as 1910, 1915, 1930, 1951, 1952, 1964, 1972, 1974, and 1992 (for the 20th century).
Chateau Yquem is arguably the most famous French sweet wine and part of this is to do with its merciless quality control. Since every year is different, selection of the harvest means that varying amounts of the crop will end up being sold as Yquem. In the best years, the whole crop qualifies such as in 1967, 1976, 1989 (above) and 1990, whilst in poor years the whole crop is deemed unworthy of the Yquem name and no Yquem was made such as 1910, 1915, 1930, 1951, 1952, 1964, 1972, 1974, and 1992 (for the 20th century).
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