CHÂTEAU D'YQUEM 1921

Château d'Yquem 1921

Sauternes, 1er Grand Cru Classé

u. 1hs, 2ms, 2 labels bin soiled, 1 badly bin soiled and barely legible, all with US back labels, short vintage embossed metal capsules, 2 slightly corroded, 1 corroded, vintage embossed corks in excellent condition, hand blown bottles

A pinnacle of its century. The harvest was very early, with 6 weeks of picking. The serious frost earlier reduced the crop significantly. The grapes dried on the vine, giving concentration but conserving acidity. The alcohol is surprisingly low at 12. 5% but the sugar is high. Amber brown with a yellow rim. A bouquet of orange nectar. A whiff of woodsmoke and bananas, currants, nuts and raisins. A lovely grapefruity flavour. Lavender honey - the lavender is very strong. Tangerines and vanilla. Finish of crushed nuts in honey. This seems indestructible, just so rich and essence-like it almost cannot age. In 2007, it melted in the mouth with cashmere softness. Molasses. A whiff of grapefruit. An open door to all the aromatics. Lavender honey, again. Cloves and oranges. Mahogany/walnuts at the end.  Serena Sutcliffe, MW

3 bts (cn)

LYING IN OCTAVIAN, WILTSHIRE

♦ Offered In Bond, available Duty Paid