HALVES
"Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, The Wine Advocate 92 Points
Medium gold in color, the 1999 d'Yquem has shed its puppy fat and transformed into compelling cinnamon toast, creme caramel and cashew notions with emerging notes of beurre blanc, honeycomb, ginger snaps and praline over a core of peach preserves and apple pie. The palate is softly spoken with a refreshing backbone carrying loads of delicate savory and stone fruit preserves nuances to a long, beautifully restrained finish. At the 20-year mark, this wine is in the midst of its ideal drinking window, and while I hasten to add that there is no rush to drink up, there’s also no need to delay your gratification either. The alcohol this vintage is 13.8%, while the residual sugar is 128 grams per liter, and the total acidity is 4.5 grams per liter of H2SO4. Drink 2019 to 2034 Reviewed August 2019"
The vineyard of Chateau d’Yquem extends to over 100 hectares, with the Chateau sitting at the highest point in Sauternes. Planted on a mixture of gravel, limestone and clay, it is the clay that is reputed to add extra density to the fruit of d’Yquem. The vineyards are planted with Semillon (80%) and Sauvignon Blanc (20%), and are only harvested when noble rot has properly set in. It can take the pickers up to 7 or 8 passes through the vineyard during the autumn to harvest the fruit in appropriate condition – sometimes resorting to picking individual berries as opposed to bunches.
