Château d'Yquem is a Premier Cru Supérieur (Fr: "Great First Growth" or "Great First Vintage") wine from the Sauternes, Gironde region in the southern part of the Bordeaux vineyards known as Graves. In the Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855, Château d'Yquem was the only Sauternes given this rating, indicating its perceived superiority and higher prices over all other wines of its type. Wines from Château d'Yquem are characterised by their complexity, concentration and sweetness.

A relatively high acidity helps to balance the sweetness. Another characteristic for which Château d'Yquem wines are known is their longevity. In a good year, a bottle will only begin to show its qualities after a decade or two of cellaring and with proper care, will keep for a century or more, gradually adding layers of taste and hitherto undetected fruity overtones.

Since 1959, Château d'Yquem has produced a dry white wine called Ygrec (Fr: the letter "Y"), made from an equal proportion of Sémillon and Sauvignon Blanc. This wine is not produced in every vintage. Château d'Yquem itself was acquired by Jacques de Sauvage in December of 1593.

De Sauvage acquired the property from the French monarchy by exchanging other lands that he owned for what was then referred to as the 'House of Yquem'. The site has been home to a vineyard since at least 1711 when the estate became fully owned by Léon de Sauvage d'Yquem. In 1785 it passed to the Lur-Saluces family when Françoise-Joséphine de Sauvage d'Yquem married Count Louis-Amédée de Lur-Saluces, the godson of Louis XV and Lady Victoire de France.

Monsieur Lur-Saluces died three years later, and his wife henceforth focused her energy on sustaining and improving the estate; indeed, the Château as it is now known is largely due to her work, as well as that of her descendants, who ran the property for over 200 years and whose name remains on the label to this day.

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