Palate
1999 is, today, a curious wine, which strikes one as being younger than 18 years old. The very ripe and powerful Cabernet Sauvignon evolves slowly. It’s a vintage that impresses with its vitality.
Growing Conditions
Concentrated. Beyond even the high expectations created by the good weather, the grapes from our terroir had a rare intensity and concentration. The sugar levels in the Cabernet Sauvignon broke all records and were fully expressed in the vintage.
1999 was not an easy year for wine growers. The contrasting climate called for a lot of attention and real know-how so as to be able to harvest healthy and ripe grapes. In 1999, more than ever, it was the quality of the work in the vineyard that determined the success of the vintage. From January to March, the temperatures were abnormally mild with record sunshine levels. Vegetation started early and the first buds appeared at the end of March. April and May were hot and rainy. However, flowering took place quickly and smoothly. The summer months were hot and the vegetative cycle continued on perfectly. Mid-véraison was recorded on August 4th. Very early attacks of mildew were reported on the grapes. Most of it was controlled and it did not cause any damage. During maturation, a rare phenomenon of natural concentration of the berries occurred at Château Palmer, in parallel with the usual physiological evolutions: this resulted in exceptional sugar levels, never before achieved for the Cabernet Sauvignon. The month of September, especially the second half, was very humid. The selection of harvesting dates becomes a major concern. Thanks to a good management of the vineyard and rigorous sorting, the grapes resisted beautifully.
