Wine Advisor
La Tour Carnet, Blanc 2015
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The la Tour Carnet2015 Blanc is a blend of 54% Sauvignon Blanc, 26% Sauvignon Gris and 20% Sémillon. It has a lively, slightly uncomplicated bouquet with gooseberry, citrus peel and touches of honeysuckle, developing more complexity as it opens with aeration. The palate is well balanced with crisp acidity, fresh and tensile with a tang of lemongrass toward the finish that just cuts away too swiftly. Still, it will give plenty of drinking pleasure over the next 6 or 7 years.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2015 La Tour Carnet Blanc is a blend of 54% Sauvignon Blanc, 26% Sauvignon Gris and 20% Semillon cropped at 24 hectoliters per hectare, picked between September 14 and 18. It has a very crisp and appealing bouquet of lemon curd, citrus fruit and apricot blossom that gains intensity in the glass. The palate is well balanced and does not quite deliver on the promise of the aromatics, perhaps not as complex as I was expecting, though there is respectable weight and length on the harmonious finish. Not bad at all, though it needs to raise its game to match its red counterpart.
About the Producer
The history of Château La Tour Carnet dates back to the 12th century. Indeed, this vast vineyard of 132 hectares is undoubtedly one of the oldest domains of the Medoc. Its architecture is purely medieval as evidenced by the tower, surrounded by moats, which was built in 1120. The domain takes its name from the valiant squire Carnet having fought alongside the lord Jean de Fait: his self-denial and his bravery were such that he received the property in inheritance. Subsequently, the estate belonged to illustrious owners, including the Montaigne family. Since the 2000s, Château La Tour Carnet has been taken over by Bernard Magrez, who has started a restoration and renovation program. Located in the heart of the Medoc, the property has a unique and exceptional terroir, called the “Butte de la Tour Carnet”. It is a visual curiosity but also geological since it is the only clay-limestone mound of the Medoc. The White of La Tour Carnet is one of the rare white wine produced in the Médoc. The estate also produces a white wine. Located in the heart of the Médoc, the property has a unique and exceptional terroir, called the “Butte de la Tour Carnet”. It is a visual curiosity but also geological since it is the only clay-limestone mound of the Medoc. The quality of Château La Tour Carnet’s wines is link to the quality of its terroir of Garonne and Pyrenean gravel. On this type of soil the Merlots flourish particularly well, which explains why half of the Château La Tour Carnet grape varieties are in Merlot. The dominant of this grape gives the wines of the property, a beautiful fruit, flexibility and allows to address them in their youth. During the vinification, the Château team seeks harmony between Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in order to have gourmet wines. Thus, the entire harvest is harvested by hand and then vinified in concrete vats for Merlot and in wooden vats for Cabernet Sauvignon. Aging is done in barrels, 50% new, for 18 months to coat and enhance the fruit. Château La Tour Carnet is a wine of great elegance, it is a great Médoc.
