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The former owner of Château d'Yquem, Marquis Alexandre de Lur Saluces, has died at the age of 89. This was announced by his family. He had been managing director of Château d'Yquem, which had been owned by the Lur-Saluces family since 1785, from 1968. In 1999, his family sold the majority to the LVMH group. In 2004, he left the estate as a result of differences with the new owner. "My family sold something that could not be sold. To have sold such an extraordinary estate as Château d'Yquem is a crime", Alexandre de Lur Saluces said at that time.
He recently handed over the presidency of the family-owned Château de Fargues to his son Philippe. Alexandre de Lur Saluces was considered a champion of the traditions of the Sauternes appellation. "Botrytis is a miracle that must be respected. It is a wonderful alchemy," he said in an interview in 2017, while also being critical of some attempts to boost sales of Sauternes wines by introducing dry white wines, other packaging or sweet wines as cocktail ingredients.
(al / source: vitisphere, lrvf)