A complete collection of Chateau d’Yquem covering the vintages from 1860 to 2003 is looking for a new owner. An historical moment in the world of rare wines. (Translator’s note: since this article was written, the collection has been sold – Wein-Plus reported on this).

The king of sweet wines

The Antique Wine Company, which has ist headquarters in London, is in the happy position of being able to offer a total of 134 vintages of what is perhaps the most famous sweet wine in the world - Chateau d’Yquem – on auction. A very special type of document of the times, with a highly viscous consistency, and a colour not unlike that of bars of gold. The collection kicks off with the 1860 vintage, the year in which Billy the Kid was born. In the following year, 1861, Abraham Lincoln was elected the first Republican president of the United States of America. 1863 saw the opening of the Tube, or underground railway, in London. In 1868, Cartier produced the first wrist watch for men, with prices that would probably today be in the same range as those of these wines. Six years later, Jacob Davis and Levi Strauss produced the first jeans. Albert Einstein was born in 1879, and cornflakes were invented in 1884. In the following year, Karl Friedrich Benz built his first motor car. Possibly the greatest comedian duo of all times, Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy, were born in 1890 – surely not without some complications. Exactly eight years after Karl Friedrich Benz started building cars, in 1893, Rudolf Diesel invented the diesel engine, which was named after him. In 1895, X-rays were discovered by Wilhelm Röntgen – they are still known as Röntgen rays in German.

We could continue following parallel historical events right up to 2003, but we suggest the reader consult the chronology provided at the end of this article, showing which historical events took place while each of the vintages of d’Yquem included in this collection was being produced.

History of the collection

The basic stock of the collection was put together in the period from 1966 to 1985 by Didier Segon, a French wine merchant. After 1985, the collection was continued and expanded by a British wine enthusiast, and was eventually completed by the Antique Wine Company. In addition, a second bottle is available of 68 vintages. The only vintages „missing“ in the collection – of necessity – are 1910, 1915, 1930, 1951, 1952, 1964, 1972, 1974 and 1992. No wines were bottled in these years, as the quality was considered to be below par.

Extra made bottles of the nine non d´Yquem vintages, empty, of course

History of  d’Yquem

If there is such a thing as the king or queen of sweet wines, then it has to be d’Yquem. The crown on the label is a not-so-subtle indication of this. In fact, the history behind the chateau certainly has some royal connections. The estate was originally owned by Eleanor, duchess of Aquitaine, the area surrounding the city of Bordeaux. The royal connection of d’Yquem was established when Eleanor married the later king Louis VII of France. In fact, Eleanor was later married again, in 1154, this time to king Henry II of England. As a result, d’Yquem was a British wine estate until 1453, when the Hundred Years War ended. Approximately 140 years later, in 1593, it became the exclusive property of the family of Sauvage d'Eyquem. Yet another 192 later, the  Lur-Saluces family, which already owned Chateau de Fargues, became part-owners of d`Yquem. In the troubled times surrounding the French Revolution, the family initially lost everything, and then later acquired full and exclusive control of d’Yquem.

Marquis Antoine-Marie de Lur-Saluces inherited the wine estate in 1851. His marriage with Marie-Geneviève de Filhot added the Chateaux Filhot and Coutet to the family holdings. The rich tend to associate with their likes, both then and now.

A very special document of time: 134 vintages of Chateau d’Yquem

When the wines of the region were classified in 1855, d’Yquem was the only wine to be classified as a Premier Cru Supérieur. Even then, the prices achieved by the wines from this chateau were a multiple of those being charged by other estates in the Sauternes region.

Throughout this period, right up until 2003/04, the chateau was owned by the Lur-Saluces family. After that, the luxury goods group LVMH took over at the helm, and appointed Pierre Lurton, who already runs Chateau Cheval-Blanc, as the new general manager. Pierre Lurton must indeed be a happy man to be in charge of two such icons of the wine world – which of course is also a heavy burden, associated with high expectations.

Who will place the highest bid?

It goes without saying that this collection of d’Yquem is absolutely unique. And will probably never again be sold on auction in this form. The only exception might be if the buyer now loses interest and puts the collection up for sale once more.

What is the price of this line-up of 1860 to 2003 vintages likely to be? At the time of writing this article, bids on hand were already in excess of 1 million US dollars, and there is every likelihood this could still go higher. You certainly will require a well-lined wallet to join the bidding, even considering the fact that two luxuriously hand-crafted wine refrigerators are included in the price. No mater which bottle of wine from the collection you choose to drink, and that, after all is the purpose of wine, it will have cost a minimum of US$ 7500. But will one really have the heart to tear up the collection? Probably an inner battle the new owner will have to fight with himself each time he thinks about it.

How legends are born

There is little doubt this wine collection will be listed among the legendary wine collections such as those of Lord Andrew Lloyd-Webber and Hardy Rodenstock. Or that collection in  Jatta on the Crimean peninsula, with a cellar estimated at 45.000 bottles. All the stuff legends are made of is present here. A famous chateau, more than a hundred different vintages, and of course the exorbitant price, which the new owner will have to pay. Plus those nice extra little touches such as the refrigerators hand-crafted in walnut. Then there are the specially produced nine bottles from the nine vintages in which no d’Yquem was made, empty of course, with special labels that confirm these are the vintages in which no  d`Yquem was made – all extremely unusual, no, unique.

Two handmade climatic chambers of the finest type - included

Readers can already look forward to any details that will be published on this collection in future, to keep the legend alive, and to add the one or other anecdote to it.

One thing is certain, it is stories like these that provide that special something in the great global ocean of wine. This is the stuff dreams are made of, dreams a wine lover can hold on to for his whole life.

(Information and illustrations: The Antique Wine Company / London)

P.S. This unique collection was sold to an as yet unnamed buyer for 775.000 pounds sterling (GBP). According to the merchant, the Antique Wine Company, the buyer lives in Europe, but not in Britain.

d’Yquem