Yquem: this is a name that everyone should know, especially if he is a fan of great vintages. Château d’Yquem is indeed one of the most famous, recognized and admired wines on the planet. From there to say that everyone has had, or should have, the opportunity to taste the famous nectar that is this sweet white wine from Sauternes, there is only one step. Its notoriety is due to a form of excellence in the winemaking process born at the end of the 18th century under the leadership of the owner at the time, Joséphine d’Yquem. An academic specializing in the economy of luxury, Christel de Lassus introduces us to the turbulent destiny of this exceptional woman in a fascinating biography entitled Josephine d’Yquem. At the origin of a legendary wine.
Born in 1768 into a family of Bordeaux nobility invested in wine, the young woman found herself at the age of 20 orphaned and widowed, with the burden of a considerable heritage, the jewel of which is a vast wine estate. She therefore devoted her life to the defense and safeguarding of this heritage, which was particularly difficult during the revolutionary period. While the Jacobin Terror was embodied in Bordeaux in the person of Jean-Lambert Tallien, one of the most abject characters of the Revolution, she managed to avoid the guillotine and the confiscation of her property. A modern woman who asserts herself in a world largely dominated by men, she demonstrates a keen business sense to ensure the celebrity of her production and is open to multiple innovations aimed at improving their quality and originality. To do this, it relies on the expertise of its cellar masters, including a great professional named Jean Garros.
The virtues of “noble rot”
From their collaboration was born the idea of delaying the harvest in order to allow the “noble rot” to do its job and give birth to this very special sweet wine that is Sauternes. What the book emphasizes is that Joséphine d’Yquem, who has a strong character, owes her success to her ability to form convictions, and to stick to them. In particular, she retains, in her private life, an attachment to the Christian values which were those of the monarchy of the Ancien Régime.
She will never depart from her family heritage, both on the material level in the promotion of her wine and on the spiritual level in the constantly evoked memory of her father and the education he gave her. Christel de Lassus tells us all this with a pleasant and alert style, without frills or pedantic accumulation of notes, so that his book should be among the reference readings of this summer.
Josephine d’Yquem. At the origin of a legendary wine
by Christel de Lassus.
Flammarion, 260 pages, €23.90.
Rating: 5/5