1 bottle per lot
Details
Château d'Yquem--Vintage 1955
Sauternes, 1er grand cru classé
Full gold colour. Very badly bin-soiled label, illegible
Tasting Note: Harvested 17 September - 28 October, 14 4.5 Baume. First tasted in cask, October 1958: pale, fruit but strong whiff of preservative sulphur; starting to take on colour, sweet, smooth, fat yet with good counter-balancing acidity (early 1960s). Beautiful, opening up in the late 1960s, early 1970s. By 1980, a deep orange-gold reminding me of the '29; intensely rich, very sweet - but killed stoned dead by a sugary crème brûlée at the Jubilee Dinner of the Institute of Masters of Wine! Four other notes in the 1980s: 'an astonishing orange-rose-amber with pale lemon rim', still very sweet, very rich, good length and lovely aftertaste. Sustained and refreshed with high acidity (including a level of volatile acidity which the quality control of the Quebec Liquor Board in Montreal found unacceptable). A glorious bottle, lunch in the sun in 1994. Most recently: seemed too deep for a vintage of the 1950s; hefty, classic, caramelised nose; sweet, full, complete, masked acidity, excellent finish. Last tasted at the Yquem marathon event in Munich, Sept 1998 ***** M.B.
1 bottle per lot
Sauternes, 1er grand cru classé
Full gold colour. Very badly bin-soiled label, illegible
Tasting Note: Harvested 17 September - 28 October, 14 4.5 Baume. First tasted in cask, October 1958: pale, fruit but strong whiff of preservative sulphur; starting to take on colour, sweet, smooth, fat yet with good counter-balancing acidity (early 1960s). Beautiful, opening up in the late 1960s, early 1970s. By 1980, a deep orange-gold reminding me of the '29; intensely rich, very sweet - but killed stoned dead by a sugary crème brûlée at the Jubilee Dinner of the Institute of Masters of Wine! Four other notes in the 1980s: 'an astonishing orange-rose-amber with pale lemon rim', still very sweet, very rich, good length and lovely aftertaste. Sustained and refreshed with high acidity (including a level of volatile acidity which the quality control of the Quebec Liquor Board in Montreal found unacceptable). A glorious bottle, lunch in the sun in 1994. Most recently: seemed too deep for a vintage of the 1950s; hefty, classic, caramelised nose; sweet, full, complete, masked acidity, excellent finish. Last tasted at the Yquem marathon event in Munich, Sept 1998 ***** M.B.
1 bottle per lot
Special notice
VAT rate of 17.5% is payable on hammer price plus buyer's premium.