Wine Advisor
Raymond Lafon 1999
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 1999 Raymond-Lafon, en magnum, is maybe just a few years past its best on the nose, missing the freshness of the 2002, for example. Touches of swimming pool infuse the light yellow fruit. The palate is simple with fine acidity, a little petrolly in style. There's good length, although it needs a little more charm and precision on the too-simple finish.
About the Producer
Château Raymond-Lafon is a wine estate situated in the sweet wine appellation of Sauternes, 50km (30 miles) southeast of the city of Bordeaux on the left bank of the Garonne River. The estate was founded by the eopnymous Raymond Lafon in 1850 and today boasts 16 hectares (40 acres) of vineyards within the Sauternes appellation. Louis Pontallier inherited the estate from Lafon (his uncle) at the beginning of the 20th Century. He continued his family's winemaking legacy here until 1952, when he sold the estate to the Bourdier family (Louis' grandson Paul Pontallier would go on to become the well-known manager of Médoc First Growth Château Margaux in the late Twentieth and early 21st Centuries). In 1972, Francine and Pierre Meslier acquired Château Raymond-Lafon and today their three children, Marie-Françoise, Charles-Henri and Jean-Pierre, have taken over the running of the estate. The property's vineyards lie in close proximity to those of Sauternes' renowned Château d'Yquem, which lies just to the southeast of Raymond-Lafon. Sémillon accounts for 80 percent of the grape varieties grown on the Raymond-Lafon estate, with Sauvignon Blanc making up the remainder. The vineyards are hand-harvested across three to ten passes (or "tries" in the vineyard) and the grapes ferment naturally for three to five weeks. Château Raymond-Lafon's wines age in hand-split, new oak barrels for three years and are racked on a three-month basis. This entire process produces approximately 20,00 bottles of wine a year that fall under the estate's three wine labels: Château Raymond-Lafon, Jeunes Pousses de Raymond-Lafon and Le Cadet.
