“The pure golden color of this wine gives people a feeling that it has a young appearance and rich contents, making it not at all like it has been aged for 24 years. The light amber note echoes the pure notes of honey, yellow peach, kumquat jam, and lemon honey tea. After swirling the glass, the mellow fragrance of matsutake and porcini wafts out from the inner bottom of the glass, showing the instinctive contents of the Noble Wine … spicy scents of strident saffron, ginger sugar, and yellow curry. There are also hundreds of aromas that I can hardly figure out one by one … Among the Château de Fargues family, the 1998 vintage is a pure and cheerful “citrine.”

“Juice and rich fruit is more apparent in the 1998 than it was in the 1996, with waves of apricot and nectarine to sink into, spliced by a knife edge of crisp, clean zest that elevates Fargues above most others in the appellation. Grilled toffee also, but more a memory of sweetness than sweetness itself, tarte tatin and white pear. Five weeks of harvest from September 22 through to October 28. François Amirault winemaker.”

“Harvested 22-30 September for fresh pickings and 17-28 October for richer pickings. Dark greenish gold. Rich but appetising barley-sugar nose. Kumquat fruit with a fresh bitterness on the end. Super-fresh. Bit of chewiness still. Only medium sweet. Very lively and vital. Medium bodied. And long and vibrant. (Drink between 2012-2032)”

“Pale to medium gold in color, the 1998 de Fargues simply sings of honeyed apricots, lemon curd and orange marmalade with touches of fungi, candle wax and candied ginger. The palate gives wonderful balance and depth, with very rich fruit and a racy line giving way to a long, layered finish. Yum!”

Scored without a note.