From left, Chef Takuya Watanabe, Pastry Chef Maxime Frédéric, Chateau d’Yquem Estate Manager Lorenzo Pasquini; and, Chef Arnaud Donckele.
There are moments that cannot be recreated—only recognised.
In Japan, this moment is called Shun (旬): the precise point at which a product, within its season, reaches its truest expression. It is fleeting, fragile, and luminous.
This very philosophy has inspired Chateau d’Yquem to shape the new edition of Les Résidences d’Yquem, an annual gastronomic event launched by the First Growth estate in 2022.
On 13 and 14 November 2026, the estate will welcome chefs from two-Michelin-starred restaurant Hakuba — Chef Arnaud Donckele, Chef Takuya Watanabe, and Pastry Chef Maxime Frédéric — alongside their culinary team, for an exclusive dining experience like no other.
For two days, Hakuba will present a unique kaiseki-sushi menu at Chateau d’Yquem, served at the counter. Each seating accommodates 36 guests across three counters of twelve places each, preserving both the precision of the artistry and the intimacy of the moment.
Guests will embark on a complete journey: a tour of the estate, a private exploration of the cellar, an immersive counter-side dining experience, and a final gathering in the chateau’s elegant drawing-rooms.
Yquem accompanies every step—not merely as a conclusion, but as a guiding thread woven through the tasting of seven exceptional vintages.
At Hakuba, the gesture captures the precise instant: the cut, the temperature, the seasoning. Eel and seafood are prepared to the minute with extreme precision. Nothing can be rushed or delayed. The moment does not repeat.
At Yquem, that same moment exists within the vineyard – the brief instant when Botrytis cinerea reaches its perfect balance, concentrating aromas without losing freshness, revealing complexity rather than imposing it.
This exclusive experience will be held on 13 and 14 November 2026, with lunch seatings at 10.45am, 11.30am or 12.15pm, and dinner seatings at 6.00pm, 6.45pm or 7.30pm. Each journey lasts 3 hours and 45 minutes and is priced at €1,200 per person. To book, please visit https://www.yquem.fr/en/
Two-Michelin-starred restaurant Hakuba is one of the restaurants at Cheval Blanc Paris, an ultra-luxury 5-star hotel owned by the LVMH Group. Situated in the heart of Paris’ 1st arrondissement, the hotel enjoys a prime location along the Seine River.
