CHÂTEAU LA TOUR BLANCHE
2017 1er Cru Classé Sauternes
The 2017 La Tour Blanche turned out beautifully. Orange and tangerine peel, mint, wild flowers, honey and chamomile all meld together in a Sauternes of nuance, elegance and classiness. This is such a pretty and expressive wine. Drinking range: 2022 - 2037 Rating: 95 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Mar 2020)
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The 2017 La Tour Blanche has a very elegant and controlled bouquet, perhaps atypically for an estate that usually produces one of the more decadent Sauternes aromatics (not that I am complaining, for the record). The palate is very intense with layers of pure botrytized fruit, clear honey laced with orange zest and mandarin that segue into a dense, rich but fresh finish that is pure botrytized joy. Excellent. Drinking range: 2022 - 2050 Rating: 93-95 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (May 2018)
The 2017 la Tour Blanche gives up notions of cedar chest and baking bread over a core of white pepper, apple pie and peach preserves with a waft of lemon zest. The palate gives up a lot of spice in the mouth with plenty of racy freshness to support, finishing long and zesty. Rating: 92-94 Lisa Perrotti-Brown, RobertParker.com (Apr 2018)
Another blockbuster Sauternes from the vintage is the 2017 Château La Tour Blanche. This ripe, sexy, incredibly opulent effort gives up tons of honeyed citrus, orange blossom, and dried herb aromas and flavors. It hits the palate with serious sweet, yet shows the freshness and vibrancy of the vintage, and is impeccably balanced. It’s a great wine in the making. Rating: 94-97 Jeb Dunnuck, www.jebdunnuck.com (Apr 2018)
Very spicy with lots of dried-mango, apple and pear character. Full-bodied and very sweet and flavorful on the finish. Rating: 92-93 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Apr 2018)
Bommes. 83% Sémillon, 12% Sauvignon Blanc, 5% Muscadelle. Open and expressive with citrus, spiced pear and almond paste. Very sweet and viscous, generous, mouth-filling and still fresh. Delicious. Drinking range: 2025 - 2040 Rating: 18 Julia Harding MW, www.JancisRobinson.com (Apr 2018)
Enticing tropical melon, guava and mango notes roll through, laced with light almond and hazelnut hints. Offers a plump finish, in the hedonistic style. Rating: 90-93 James Molesworth, The Wine Spectator (Apr 2018)
Here we have a blend of 83% Semillon, 12% Sauvignon Blanc and 5% Muscadelle, and a tiny volume, the frost having reduced the eventual harvest to a mere fifty barrels of wine. The wine has a very pure, fresh and bright character on the nose, with orange citrus, apricot and peach, alongside a brooding bitter botrytis character. The palate is very harmonious, highly polished and integrated, with peach and apricot fruit underpinned by an acid and mineral background. It is fresh, bright and pure, with a delicious acid and mineral profile. A delightfully cleansed, fresh, long and bitter finish. This is delicious. Rating: 93-95 Chris Kissack, www.thewinedoctor.com (Apr 2018)
Château La Tour Blanche
Sauternes Premier Cru 1855 Uniquely among wine estates, Château La Tour Blanche is the property of the French state, having been gifted to the nation by the philanthropist Daniel "Osiris" Iffla on his death in 1907. An agricultural college was duly built in 1911 and functions to this day. M. Iffla's generosity is commemorated by the words "Donation Osiris" that appear on every label. The name derives from an 18th Century owner - Jean Saint-Marc du Latourblanche who was Treasurer Géneral to Louis XIV. Château La Tour Blanche is often quoted as the birthplace of modern Sauternes. It is said that the German owner in the mid-19th Century, Frederic Focke, brought knowledge about noble rot from his native Rhine valley to his vineyards overlooking the River Ciron. Quite how true the story is is in some doubt - as a naturally occuring phenomenon in the area, it is unlikely that Sauternes vignerons were unaware of botrytis cinerea and there is eveidence that its benefits in sweet wine making were known before Herr Focke's time, at Château d'Yquem at least. He may well have brought a deeper understanding of the subject with him as, under his ownership, Château La Tour Blanche was ranked second only to Château d'Yquem in the 1855 classification. There are 65ha of vineyard, planted with 83% Semillon, 12% Sauvignon Blanc and 5% Muscadelle. Wines are fermented in oak and aged for 18 months in new wood. La Tour Blanche's reputation has slipped a little since 1855 - it would no longer be able to boast of being second only to Yquem, but one should charitably put that down, at least in part, to the considerable rise in profile and quality of its neighbours and competitors. Château La Tour Blanche is still one of the more reliable producers, especially in the last couple of decades.