Château d'Yquem, Wine estate in Sauternes, France

Château d'Yquem is a wine estate at Sauternes in the Gironde, its buildings dating from the 16th and 17th centuries and arranged in a quadrilateral around a large courtyard. The pale stone house has a steep slate roof, a round tower with a conical dark grey roof and dormer, white-shuttered windows and a lower square pavilion with a pyramid roof. The vineyard covers 126 hectares, of which 100 are in production, planted 80% Sémillon and 20% Sauvignon blanc.

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 name Yquem comes from the estate's own history: the Sauvage family, owners from 1593, added "d'Yquem" to their name in 1711 when Léon de Sauvage had the fief ennobled. The dry white Ygrec, named after the French letter Y, has been made every year since 2004, mostly from Sauvignon blanc.

The château stands on a rise above the Ciron valley in Sauternes, and its buildings form a quadrilateral around a large courtyard. The estate is listed as a monument historique, so the chapel frescoes and the fireplaces of the main dwelling are the features to look for. Visits are arranged in advance.

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.