Château La Tour Blanche 2023

Despite very low yields, this estate managed to craft a lovely Sauternes, with plenty of rich pineapple and mango and some subtle botrytis spice, with a pleasing finish evoking white pepper, clove and candied lemon. While not among the most intense and deep Sauternes in this vintage, it has the potential for a higher score after barrel ageing.

The 2023 La Tour Blanche has a pure, honeyed bouquet, touches of quince and orange pith manifesting with time, just a slight resinous element that becomes more pronounced. The palate is well-balanced, with a smooth, viscous opening, impressive weight (as always) with a more tropical finish compared to its peers. Lovely.

Bright, sweet, honeyed, yellow citrus and candied orange rind, zesty and fresh, sweet and bright... Candied lemon, pineapple, and honey with floral accents, apricots, and hints of white peach on the nose, and on the sweet, medium/full-bodied, fresh, mango- and pineapple-infused palate. Drink from 2025-2045. 92-94 pts.

Medium yellow gold, silver reflections. Ripe yellow tropical fruit, fine wood spice, some honey, candied orange zest. Juicy, round and opulent, white peach, subtle acidity, fruity finish, mineral aftertaste, good prospects.

Quince, white peach, poached pear, saffron, mandarin peel, this is hard to resist, full of character and a great vintage at La Tour Blanche, despite its painfully small 3.5hl/ha yield. Organic farming.

Score: 94–96. The summer night is tender, with honeyed floral scents (linden, acacia) and lemon trees releasing aromas that are both fresh and fleshy. Candied orange peel, fresh pineapple and passion fruit are right in place. The palate is nothing but liquid gold. We find hints of tropical fruit (passion fruit, mango, pineapple), but above all an unexpected freshness and tension. It is absolutely divine.

Old gold color, deep and slightly hazy, with aromas of apricot tart and fresh verbena. A delicate attack delivers papaya and mango, followed by a tangy progression, an airy texture, and flavors of candied lemon, soft apricot, and grapefruit zest. The finish highlights the freshness of ginger. The whole is refined.

Hell-fruity, with a hint of glue, forest honey, bittersweet orange, floral notes, very complex; on the palate elegant, precise acidity counters the sweetness, delicate fruit, finely spicy finish. Balanced, long-lasting, likely to gain further with maturation.

This white splays open with a range of peach, mango, green plum, pineapple and yellow apple fruit aromas and flavors. Shows a ying-yang interplay of both chutney and floral accents, while steady but nicely buried and juicy energy percolates underneath it all. Sémillon and Muscadelle. Drink now through 2045. 542 cases made, 250 cases imported.

Golden yellow colour. Intense nose with ripe, vanilla notes. Precise on the attack, flavoursome on the mid-palate, broad and silky, the wine develops pleasantly towards a slightly syrupy finish. Average length.

A blend of 90% Sémillon and 10% Muscadelle with 149 grams per liter of residual sugar, the 2023 La Tour Blanche unfurls in the glass with a pure, perfumed bouquet of pineapple, ripe orchard fruits, white flowers and orange confit. Medium- to full-bodied, layered and concentrated, it's beautifully balanced, built around a vibrant core of fruit animated by fresh acidity and concludes with an ethereal, persistent and seemingly endless finish.