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Chateau La Tour Blanche, Sauternes, 1988 (375ml)

Dessert Wine from Bordeaux, France
$89.99
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1988 was a patient vintage in Sauternes: a warm, dry summer, then botrytis that refused to arrive until well into October, leaving the best estates picking into November. Those wines came out rich but taut, with the acidity to age for decades, and nearly forty years on this is exactly what a mature Sauternes should be. Chateau La Tour Blanche was classified Premier Cru in 1855 and has been, since 1911, also an agricultural school: philanthropist Daniel Iffla left it to the French state on the condition it train winemakers, and the label still reads Donation Osiris. The blend is roughly 83% Semillon with Sauvignon Blanc and one of Bordeaux's higher proportions of Muscadelle, grown on gravel, clay, sand and limestone. Stand this bottle upright a day ahead, open it without ceremony, and serve it thoroughly chilled; the half bottle means two people can finish a fully mature Sauternes in one sitting, which is how it should be drunk.

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Antonio Galloni

89 points

"Reticent aromas of almond, petrol and brown spices opened to show a honeyed richness and good botrytis character. Very rich, fat and honeyed in the mouth; showed a grapefruity freshness with aeration. Still, this expansive wine seems rather low in acidity. Finishes quite suave, and a bit less sweet than the middle palate would suggest. This was the turnaround vintage, under the management of Jean-Pierre Jausserand." —Stephen Tanzer

Robert Parker

92 points

"The 1988 exhibits superb richness, plenty of botrytis, creamy, honeyed, tropical fruit (pineapples galore), wonderfully integrated, toasty oak, crisp acidity, and a rich, full-bodied, long finish. The wine is just beginning to evolve and it is clearly capable of lasting for 25-35 years." —Robert M. Parker, Jr.

Wine Spectator

89 points

"Big and ripe, very sweet and full in body, with lots of tropical fruit, a lovely, creamy texture and some caramel, apricot and butter flavors. Long finish."

More about Chateau La Tour Blanche

State-owned and home to a prestigious wine school, La Tour Blanche might sound like a museum piece, but the estate produces some of the finest botrytized whites in Sauternes. Ranked first among the Premier Crus when the 1855 classification was written, it still makes the complex, unctuous sweet wines that justify that honor.

Wine Details

  • Grape Variety

    Muscadelle , Sauvignon , Semillon

  • Vintage

    1988

  • Size

    375ml

  • Farming Practice

    Traditional

  • Style

    Elegant

  • Sweetness

    Sweet

  • Body

    Full Bodied

Flatiron's Take

From the Importer

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Tasting Notes & Food Pairings

Perfect Pairings

Roquefort with walnuts, seared foie gras, a simple apple or pear tart, or on its own after dinner with nothing but a cold glass.

Tasting Profile

Deep amber-gold. Dried apricot, marmalade, caramel, toasted nuts and beeswax, with the barley-sugar note that only comes with age. Sweet but resolved, acidity still firm, and a long, slightly savory finish. Serve well chilled.

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