2020 Château Latour-Martillac Blanc - France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan (3/24/2023)
– popped and poured –
– tasted non-blind over 2 to 3 hrs. –
– 58% Sauv. Blanc, 42% Semillon –
NOSE: seems to be dominated by Sauv. Blanc; green grapes and gooseberry combo; light oak.
BODY: bright pale yellow color; medium-light bodied.
TASTE: bright and juicy; medium+ to high acidity; drops-off on the finish — most of the action is on the front palate; nice breadth on front and mid palate, but lacking depth; a touch flinty on the light finish; hint of powdery hard candy – maybe Sweet Tarts or Smarties? little hint of something green – green tomato; 13.5% alc. not noticeable; it’s good, with a pleasant flavor profile, but ultimately it’s not interesting or compelling. Not a re-buy at $35. Both Ash and I gave this “88” for gut impression score.
Dry white Bordeaux in general has lost its way. The wrong varieties, with the wrong vine genetics, planted in the wrong places and vinified the wrong way. It really is the perfect storm.
This is the only white of theirs I’ve tried; it’s unlikely I’ll be trying another anytime soon. Their red, on the other hand, is a wine I’ve recently made into an annual “gotta try at least one bottle” wine; I quite liked the '15 and '16 here, although the '19 was less to my liking.
Sounds grim and like a lot to unpack. Unfortunate because Bdx blanc can be among the most sublime white wines. The market for the consumer has too many expensive, and may I say overpriced, cuvees and scant pickings in the more affordable range. Yet there is an ocean of grapes in the region. Seems like Bdx blanc and its associated issues might be a great topic to expose for a talented wine writer
The 2021 Lacroix Martillac blanc [Pessac Leognan] underwhelms too. This is an ancillary bottling from the Kressman empire, unmentioned in my books, that Gemini advises is a third wine (or possible a brand for other markets). Lagrave-Martillac is the second wine, by the way. Whatever it might be, it’s 12% abv, a pale blend of semillion and sauvignon blanc which seems to have a touch of funk and grassiness on both days open. It’s not bright nor zippy, which I was hoping for on a day where the temperatures were in the triple digit FM radio zone. Maybe if one really hunts there is some honey here. The AI bot thinks it’s hand harvested, whole cluster fermented in barrique, and comes from a flagship AOC…but that doesn’t seem correct for this level. And for my purse and preferences, $21 is too high for what this is, a B- on my card. Lot’s of competition locally here in California in this category and price point. Agglomerated cork, but it doesn’t seem to be a technical TCA free type.
PS: Purchased solely for the novelty (the bottle colors and labels sort of match the Oakland / Sacramento A’s) but would not go back to the well. Sadly, in one of the wine fridges, there is a magnum of the 2009 Latour Martillac rouge, that is truly stuck/wedged into an awkward space between cooling unit and racking. I had to move the unit last week - electrician needed to access the socket - so I unloaded the whole thing - except for that offending bottle - and now I’ve reloaded it … still pregnant with the same problem! I can’t even think how I got it in there to begin with.
Sorry, Arv, this is not about Lacroix, but appreciate it for the interesting read.
I have fond memories of a 6-pack of 2000 Latour-Martillac that I had already polished off. Since mentions of the property here is very few and far in-between, here’s a linked note from my last bottle.
I too would prefer their rouge, but am generally disinclined toward the pricey Pessac blanc category. Especially now that the white Graves level and Sauternes sec are more available. Astonishingly – I counted on the Total Wine app – my local store (which otherwise sucks) has some 50+ kinds of Bordeaux blanc across all various AOC, with prices ranging from $6 to $600ish.
Just for the record, I regard the Lacroix_Martillac post as a worthy and interesting add to the thread, and going back to white Bordeaux, and with having spent a lengthy amount of time in Manila (Philippines) in the last 2 years, I was surprised to find 5 or 6 variety of Bordeaux blanc in a local supermarket near where I resided, in a country where, if wines were available in supermarkets, they would normally be Spanish and Australian/NZ, and a smattering of Chilean bottles.
