Château d'Yquem, Wine estate in Sauternes, France
Château d'Yquem is a wine estate in the Sauternes area of France, producing sweet wines from Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc grapes across roughly 113 hectares of vineyard land in Bordeaux. The property includes a manor house with outbuildings, cellars, and vine plots that spread over gentle slopes, linked by access roads and bordered by woodland.
The land came into the hands of Jacques Sauvage in 1593, and his descendants built the current manor and laid out the vineyards around it. In the 19th century, the estate received an official ranking that cemented its place within the regional hierarchy.
The estate carries a designation from 1855 that places it at a special level among properties in the area, reflecting its position within the local wine world. This status shapes how visitors encounter the cellars and rooms, where the approach to winemaking remains tied to older methods passed down through time.
The estate organizes guided visits and tasting sessions by prior arrangement, taking visitors through both the historic building and the production areas. Tours usually run in small groups through the cellars and often end with a sample of the wines made on the property.
The harvest takes place in several passes through the rows, with workers selecting individual berries by hand that show signs of noble rot. This process results in yields averaging nine hectoliters per hectare, far below the usual level found in other operations.
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