This is the most celebrated of all the vineyards of the world, if we exclude Chateau Lafite and Chateau Margaux, and one or two others of the same rank. It is owned by the heirs of the Marquis B. de Lur-Saluces. The wine of the Chateau Yquem is not only the leading wine of the first grand classed growths of the Sauternais region, but is certainly, without exception, the most celebrated white wine produced in the world. The chateau itself has fallen to disuse and is not now inhabited, and is only opened on rare occasions. The Chateau Yquem wine naturally brings a price upon the markets of the world which is in harmony with its reputation. The vintages, however, as is the case in all of these grand wines, are not equally good. Some years produce wines of exceptional merit, and these wines naturally command the highest prices. Other seasons the wines are of a lower quality, and sometimes are sold simply as wine without having the name of the chateau attached to them, since they are not considered of a quality suitable to bear so illustrious a name. Some of the vintages of the Chateau Yquem have sold for as high as 10,000 francs a tun. The mean annual production of the Chateau Yquem is only 90 tuns. When one considers the total amount of Chateau Yquem wine, so-called, which is drunk in the world, it seems that it must be the result of a miracle that 90 tuns of wine could supply such an extraordinary demand. Two additional vineyards belong to the same ownership and

Fig. 28. Interior court Chateau Yquem. (Photo by Author.) mangement as the Chateau Yquem, namely, the Chateau Filhot and Chateau Coutet.