TN: Chateau La Tour Blanche 2009 Sauternes

WINE TALK
1

Sauternes lovers,

The controversial Chateau de Myrat 07 thread reared its head on the front page again and inspired me to crack open a Sauternes. I decided to skip my 05s and 07s and jump straight to the 09s and picked out the La Tour Blanche.

So how is it drinking this young? It’s a beautiful bright neon marigold yellow. Pure botrytis glycerin on the nose, it actually makes the inner nostrils tingle a slight bit. Once you get past this, some lovely candied lemon peel and dried pineapple aromas.

In the mouth, it just bursts with fresh fruit flavors of pineapple, guava, mango and Meyer lemon, all supported by some sweet orange blossom honey and actually quite a fair bit acidity. No “This could use more acidity” notes here. It’s not at Tokaji or Riesling icewine levels here, but there’s definitely plenty of acidity here, probably more so than I recall ever having in any Sauternes. I am uncertain if this is because I cracked it open so young or because La Tour Blanche has exceptional balance. Either way, I’m not complaining.

Other notes that I am not posting about this Sauternes: no banana, no creme bruleé, no coconut, no real oak or vanilla flavors either. Probably too young to have developed those. This is all pure tropical fruits and honey and acidity.

Now here’s the catch. For what the wine is offering now, I really can’t recommend opening it right now unless you have more than one bottle and just want to do it for the fun of it to see where it’s at. For all the goodness it offers right now, I can get more or less the same tropical flavors, botrytis glycerin and acidity from a less expensive wine that will not age and develop as well as Sauternes does. For example, a botrytis Riesling or Semillon from Australia or a German Auslese or BA or even a Canadian icewine which will of course lack the botrytis complexity but be equivalent in everything else.

I’d give this sucker a few more years of aging and tackle some of the older Sauternes in your collection if you have any. As a wine in and of itself, however, you can taste the future greatness here for sure. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED [cheers.gif]








By opening up this baby so early, you of course kiss off any future greatness

2

LOL, I did not have the heart to post on Brian’s thread that the Myrat did not improve on the second day. I think he has 34 or so bottles of 375 left . . . .

3

Wow. 34 bottles of anything seems like a lot of bottles of just one wine but that’s just me. I’d probably feel differently if I had them and they were all Yquem. :slight_smile:

4

Well, I know someone who has about that many half bottles of 2005 Rieussec, and I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. :slight_smile:

Thanks for the note on the 2009 La Tour Blanche. Sounds like you liked it a lot. I still think La Tour is a tad lower on the pecking order, but all the major houses seem to have stepped up their quality in recent vintages.

5

Thanks for the note. I used to think that LTB was a step down from some of my favorites (Rieussec, Fargues, etc), but recently I’ve had a couple of superb experiences (the 1997 in particular) that has raised my opinion of La Tour Blanche.

6

Thanks guys. I must admit I’d settle for 34 bottles of 05 Rieussec myself. :slight_smile:

I have never had De Fargues so cannot comment but have had Rieussec and while I think it’s definitely superior the La Tour Blanche is honestly not that far behind. It was actually recommended to me by fellow board member Mike Grammer who has excellent taste and it was a good recommendation.