Château d'Yquem

Alexandre de Lur Saluces inherited Château d'Yquem in1968. The young count did not have an easy time at first. He had to deal with a series of bad vintages, a profound crisis in the Bordeaux wine trade, and an impressively high inheritance tax that threatened d'Yquem's survival.The estate was saved thanks to rigorous management and the excellent 1975 vintage,on the heels of three disastrous ones. A better series of vintages in the 1980s helped a great deal and enabled new investments to be made.The estate was modernised and missing vines were replaced even if there were not enough funds to replant entire plots. In fifteen years, production slowly increased as did quality and technical prowess.

Count Alexandre de Lur Saluces perpetuated his family's tradition as manager of Château d'Yquem for more than 35 years. His efforts were guided by a single philosophy: to preserve and defend a heritage more than 4 centuries old.Thanks to his determination, this great wine's reputation reached new heights.In May 2004, LVMH (Moét Hennessy. Louis Vuitton), main shareholders of Château d'Yquem since 1999, asked Pierre Lurton to take over management of the estate. Member of a famous Bordeaux wine family, this passionate winemaker and viticulturalist, who is also in charge of Château Cheval Blanc and Cheval des Andes in Argentina, has all the necessary qualities to maintain Yquem's legendary reputation, with a respect for tradition and an openness to modernity.