I was reorganizing my cellar the other day and came across three half-bottles
of 1997 Ch. Guiraud. I've had them since they were released and they've been
stored in an off-site location with temp. and humidity controls.

Upon lifting and tilting one of the bottles I noticed a fair amount of what
appear to be sugar crystals floating in the wine. They resemble large dandruff
flakes and apparently had been shaken loose from the bottom of the bottle. I
quickly checked out the other two bottles and the same flakes were present. I
do not recall seeing this when I purchased them and none of my other Sauternes
has this problem.

My questions are these?

What are these things and why are they there?
Does this indicate damage of any kind?
How will this impact their age-worthiness and eventual drinkability, if at all?


Thanks in advance for your responses.