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Dessert Wine: 1980 | Château La Tour Blanche | Sauternes

A gold-yellow dress. A first reserved nose opens over time into a second fine nose with touches of brioche, scents of citrus and saffron.

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Producer: Château La Tour Blanche

Vintage: 1980

Size: 750ml

ABV: 13%

Varietal: Semillon

Country/Region: France, Bordeaux

Detailed Description

A gold-yellow dress. A first reserved nose opens over time into a second fine nose with touches of brioche, scents of citrus and saffron. Delicate flavors of dried and candied fruits with cinnamon, ginger and honey give a complex and intense aromatic persistence.

Producer Information

Château La Tour Blanche is a French wine estate in the Bommes commune of the Sauternes appellation, approximately 25 miles (40 km) south of Bordeaux. The estate was listed as a Premier Cru in the official 1855 Classification of Sauternes and Barsac. Although dating back to the 17th Century, the property was bequeathed to the French state in 1909 and is currently overseen by the administrative branch of the Nouvelle Aquitaine region. The château building itself was constructed in the 17th Century by a Monsieur de Saint-Marc and received classification as a First Growth under the guidance of German proprietor, Friedrick Focke, in 1855. The estate was subsequently taken over by Daniel Iffla, who often went by the pseudonym "Osiris". Iffla died in 1907 and although he had bequeathed the property to the state (on the condition that a wine school was established on the site), the handover was not formally completed until 1911. It has remained both in national ownership and housed the local faculty of oenology since. La Tour Blanche's vineyards are predominantly planted to the traditional Sauternes grape varieties Sémillon (83 percent), Sauvignon Blanc (12 percent) and Muscadelle (five percent). This proportions are broadly reflected in the final wines. Château La Tour Blanche makes several wines: the grand vin, La Tour Blanche (Premier Cru); the second wine, Les Charmilles de Tour Blanche; a third wine, the still sweet Brumes de La Tour Blanche; the dry white wine, Duo de La Tour Blanche, a Sémillon/Sauvignon Blanc blend with the former predominating; and the Jardins de la Tour Blanche range which includes a Merlot-dominant red and rosé, and a Sauvignon Blanc-based white wine. The La Tour Blanche grand vin is a classic Sauternes blend of Sémillon, Sauvignon Blanc and Muscadelle and has an annual production averaging 45,000 bottles. The grapes are harvested by hand over a series of multiple passes through the vineyard to ensure only the sufficiently botrytized berries are selected. The grapes are pneumatically pressed and aged for around 16 to 18 months in traditional French oak barrels. Les Charmilles de Tour Blanche is only vinified in stainless steel vats. The Jardins de La Tour Blanche label combines the former Jardins de Thinoy and Cru du Cinquet labels.

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