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.