1999 Lafite-Rothschild, Pauillac

At this stage, there is sweet fruit and spice on the nose and a texture that seems silky, supple, and soft initially but shows a firm tannic grip at the end. It drinks well now and should last for the mid-term. A lovely wine from a less-than-promising year. The weather was humid and cloudy early and very hot from the middle of August, but the rain arrived at the end of the month, pushing up the picking date. 40% of the fruit went into the grand vin, a blend of 74% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18.5% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc, and 1.5% Petit Verdot – one of the few vintages to feature four grape varieties. (CC)

1999 was a more difficult vintage, but this is a classic Pauillac at 20 years old, and we should expect it stay on its plateau for the next 20-30 years. You can feel the edges of an older Cabernet beginning to creep in as cigar box and gentle tobacco notes, but there is still dense but savoury fruit on display, with real elegance and finesse to the tannins. Showing great harmony, this is where the beauty of Lafite is on display - you can find many wonderful 2009 and 2010s, but not so many wonderful '99s. All four grapes - Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc - are in the blend here, perhaps something that happens only once every ten years or so. This vintage demonstrates how Lafite doesn't need concentration to still be something incredible. A mixed year weather-wise with a good spring followed by a rainy summer until mid-August when the sun returned. There was an excellent Indian summer, then a few drops of rain again during harvest, which sped things up. These challenges, says Baron Eric, meant that they forgot about it for a good 15 years, as the wine was extremely closed, but around three years ago it started to open back up. This is ready to be enjoyed. (For Decanter)