Château d’Yquem

Indisputably the world's most famous sweet wine, Yquem’s heritage can be traced back to early mentions in the 14th century. In the late 18th century, George Washington stocked the White House’s first cellar with the wine on the recommendation of the then French ambassador, Thomas Jefferson. And when Bordeaux’s top wines were classified in 1855, such was the repute of its topographically favoured, raised plot of Sauternes that Yquem was the only white wine to be named a first growth. Its reputation and site have remained unimpeached ever since, through the aristocratic lineage of the Lur-Saluces family, from whom LVMH acquired the property in 1996. Today, Yquem is not merely a Sauternes – it stands apart from its neighbours as one of Bordeaux's – and the world's – most coveted wines. But its approach to making this capricious botrytised wine remains the same. The property's 100 hectares of Sémillon and Sauvignon Blanc lie on top of warm, dry soils which retain the heat through a pebble top layer. The installation of over 100km of drains since the 19th century ensures consistent drainage and the property also has its own weather stations dotted around to ensure harvest happens at precisely the right time. The date can vary by weeks, from vintage to vintage, according to when Sauternes' magical noble rot sets in, with plots vinified separately depending on the day they are picked.