Château La Tour Blanche

The history of the estate

The Tour Blanche, emblem of the estate, was built in the 18th century by M. de Saint-Marc. It was then that the story of Château la Tour Blanche began. Frederic Focke, a native of Germany, joins the estate in the century and reinvents the sweet wine, notably by importing the late harvest technique.

In 1855, as part of Napoleon III's Second Empire classification of the Sauternes Crus, Château la Tour Blanche was ranked first among the Sauternes Premiers Crus, just behind Château d'Yquem, the appellation's only Premier Grand Cru Supérieur.

In 1876, Daniel Iffla, alias Osiris, took over the estate and expanded it. When he died in 1907, his will stated that the château was to be bequeathed to the State on condition that a viticulture and winemaking school be built there.

Today, the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region has run the estate since 2010, and the School of Viticulture and Oenology is still active, demonstrating a genuine desire to pass on the know-how and heritage of this vineyard.

A controlled natural environment

Situated in the heart of the Sauternes AOC, the estate enjoys a privileged terroir with rolling landscapes, the vineyards culminating at an altitude of 60m on hilltops. The soils are very interesting, with gravelly surfaces and clay-limestone subsoils, giving the wines produced this distinctive character.

Three grape varieties make up the vineyard: Semillon (83%), Sauvignon (12%) and Muscadelle (5%). Sémillon gives the grapes their structure, golden color and aromas of dried fruit, candied fruit and honey. Sauvignon Blanc produces a finer, full-bodied, highly aromatic wine, which adds freshness. Finally, Muscadelle adds aromatic complexity with its delicate muscat grape fragrances and exotic, spicy notes.

Government policy on the environment and ecology aims to preserve the terroir so that it can express itself to the full in the wines produced. This direction taken by the château has enabled it to be certified High Environmental Value 3 and to become a member of the first ISO 14001-certified association for the Bordeaux Wine Environmental Management System.

The vines are tended with the utmost care, and harvesting is carried out by selective "selections", which means that the pickers go through the rows several times, each time picking only those berries where botrytis has had sufficient effect. The work is therefore irregular, and harvesting can take up to two months.

The wines

The Château la Tour Blanche 2009 (en blanc) stands out with a nose featuring notes of citrus, exotic fruit and toast. There are also notes of apricot, mentholated freshness and exotic fruit. The palate is full-bodied, suave, fruity and well-balanced.