Château La Louvière 2006

The only dry white I have tasted from Bordeaux with a screw cap finish, this wine displays plenty of fig, melon, and honeyed grapefruit notes, with some subtle smoke and earth in the background. It is medium-bodied, very nicely concentrated, and best drunk over the next 5-6 years.

Shows lemon peel and kiwifruit on the nose. Full and very rich, with minerally and fruity character. Lively and long. Drink now. 17,500 cases made.

91–93 Barrel sample. A finely balanced wine, bringing its great green, herbaceous fruits together with spice and wood. It's not complex, but is certainly delicious.

Lemon oil and lemon verbena on the nose, struck flint. Honeyed with a mineral edge on the palate.

Screwcap. Edgy, refined nose with lots of evolution but pretty subtle. Very complete and at peak. Another example with a rather burgundian build. Racy and sleek. Very satisfying and the sort of wine you can imagine benefitting from decanting. Clean and zippy. (JR)

Very pale yellow with a delicate greenish tinge. A gorgeous, perfumed Sauvignon bouquet—sleek and refreshing. The palate follows suit: an easy-drinking white wine, perhaps a touch too light.

Very pale yellow with a subtle greenish tinge. A gorgeous, perfumed Sauvignon bouquet—sleek and refreshing. The palate follows suit: an easy-drinking white wine, perhaps even a touch too light.

One of the estate’s great successes: the nose is complex, powerful and harmonious; the palate is flavorful and full-bodied, intensely fruity and mineral, driven by excellent freshness and with a remarkable length.

Sealed with a screw cap. Pale yellow color. Saline nose, like the 2003 sealed with a cap. Smoky note. The palate is broad, youthful, fresh, flavorful and a touch lively on the finish, where the wine ends a little tannic even after decanting. If you have a bottle sealed with a cap, I think this wine will remain as it is until 2022.