2012 La Tour Blanche
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Tasting notes
The 2012 La Tour Blanche has a simple and quite Germanic bouquet that's slightly petrol in style but missing some botrytization. The palate is better with moderate depth and fine acidity, but this lacks personality and never kicks on toward the finish. Drink it soon, as it won't improve with bottle age. Just 1,000 bottles were produced in this vintage. I wonder if this had a short shelf life as the bottle a couple of years ago was superior.
Critic scores
Average Score
Neal Martin
Robert Parker
More reviews and scores
The 2012 La Tour Blanche has an excellent bouquet, one of the best of the Sauternes that released in this vintage, with pure honeysuckle, quince and saffron scents. The palate is well balanced, taut and fresh with a fine bead of acidity, decent tension and a pretty finish. It does not have the substance to suggest long-term cellaring, but it is well crafted. Tasted blind at the Southwold Ten-Year On tasting.
Tasted blind. Distinctly orange tinge. Extremely sweet – just a bit too much so. With an ashy, burnt edge that's a bit disconcerting. Not one of the finest vintages from this usually reliable estate. (JR)
Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting. The 2012 Château La Tour Blanche has a simple, dried honey and dried pineapple-scented nose that feels rather rudimentary. The palate is smooth and rounded, texturally attractive, but there is not much in the way of complexity underneath. It is a pleasant and undemanding Sauternes to drink over the next decade.