2005 Château La Tour Blanche

Tasted blind. Deep greenish gold. Lots of exciting botrytis notes. Big and thrilling. Pungent but neat. (JR)

Tasted blind at the 10-Year On Tasting in Sauternes. The 2005 Château La Tour Blanche has a complex nose with lemon sherbet, orange sorbet, honey and jasmine all soaring from the glass without a care in the world. The palate is medium-bodied with refined tannin, very focused and poised with an elegant, suave finish that has just the right amount of edginess. There is a Barsac-like personality to this La Tour Blanche with a hint of barley sugar on the aftertaste. Overall, this is an impressive Sauternes.

While pleasant, the 2005 Tour Blanche is not one of the stars in Bernard Magrez’s firmament. It offers a deep ruby hue followed by a bouquet of sweet black currants, soy, plums, anise, and herbs. Medium-bodied, with good structure and plenty of muscle (typical of the vintage), it should be drunk over the next 5-6 years.