Single owner private wine collection
Timed Online Auction, 3 - 11 April 2023
Single owner private wine collection
About the SessionThe wines have been sourced from a private collector, whose wines have been stored in an immaculate custom-built cellar. The collection showcases the best of the wine-making world and offers a range of options to suit any palate.
Incl. Buyer's Premium & VAT
About this Item
Château La Tour Blanche is a French wine estate in the Bommes commune of the Sauternes appellation. 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.
Critics Ratings
‘The 1990 is less aromatic, but richer and fuller-bodied than the 1988 La Tour Blanche. It has not lost any of its elegant, honeyed, botrytised style. Interestingly, at bottling the 1988 contained 13.5% alcohol and the 1990, 13.2%. The 1990 comes across as fat and rich, a classic Sauternes that remains under priced given the resurgence of this well-known estate. It will keep for three decades or more.’ – Robert Parker Jr, Wine Advocate, 92/100 (Jan 1998)
‘Pungently botrytized aromas feature game, honey, marmalade, clove oil, charred oak and a whiff of herbs. Very concentrated and very young; the wine impressively thick texture is leavened by lively acidity and tangy botrytis tones. The honey, mint, mineral and fresh herbal flavors harmonize beautifully. Very long, smoky-oaky aftertaste. The best of these three vintages by a clear margin. Finished with lower alcohol (13.2%) and higher sugar (73g/l) than either the ’89 or ’88.’ – Stephen Tanzer, Vinous, 92/100 (Jul 1998)
Provenance
Private Client
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