Wine Advisor
Latour Martillac, Blanc 2010
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Description
The best lots from the best parcels are chosen each year to integrate into the blending of the first wines for both red and white wines. This stringent selection is driven by the direction of Loic Kressmann and our winemaker, Valerie Vialard, with the help of one of the most renowned consultants in Bordeaux, Professor Denis Dubourdieu.
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted blind at the Southwold Bordeaux 2010 tasting. The La Tour-Martillac Blanc has a light, primal nose with apple peelings, citrus lemon and a touch of pineapple, although it is very tight and needs more personality. The palate is crisp on the entry with lime cordial and bruised apple notes. Decent weight here, although the finish is missing a sense of energy and momentum that it displayed just over a year ago. Tasted January 2014.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
One of the strongest dry whites I have tasted from this producer, it exhibits plenty of fig, melon, licorice and honeysuckle notes.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
I must say...I am smitten by this nose. Very peachy with touches of guava and apricot, it is a little “obvious” perhaps, but very attractive. The palate is medium-bodied with a crisp entry, good acidity, lacking a little persistency on the finish but compensated by its freshness and vitality. Very fine. Tasted April 2011.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted at the Union de Grand Cru in London. The Latour-Martillac has a very refined bouquet with touches of fresh pear and dried apricot. The palate is well balanced with lime and grapefruit on the entry. The acidity is well judged and the finish crisp and delineated. There is great composure to this white Pessac. Very fine. Tasted November 2012.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
Crisp, earthy, with hints of ripe figs, mango, creme brulee and lemon custard, this is a beauty with some toasty oak. Drink it over the next decade.
About the Producer
A small fortified castle from the 12th century existed until the French Revolution, leaving only behind the tower that gives the estate its name. Viticulture first began in the 19th century when the land was attached to the estate of Château La Brède, birthplace of Montesquieu. Under the ownership of Monsieur Charropin, the estate took the identity of Latour-Martillac, but the wine it produced was not noted as remarkable until the involvement of Edward Kressmann. A German wine trader, he became gradually more involved in the vinification from when he first began distributing Latour-Martillac, until he acquired the estate in 1929. Following the death of the owner, Kressmann faced the risk of losing a wine that had been a favourite of his clients for generations, and bought it outright. Already in 1884, Edward Kressmann had planted white grape varieties, and in 1892 launched their wine Graves Monopole Dry which was successful. The estate was eventually passed onto Alfred Kressmann, followed by his son, Jean, in charge since 1940 but inheriting the estate in 1955, who acquired adjacent land expanding the vineyard area to 30 hectares. Currently the estate is under the management of the following generation of the Kressmann family, the brothers Tristan and Loïc, working with the consultants Denis Dubourdieu from 1986 and Michel Rolland between 1989 and 2005. The vineyard area extends 42 hectares (100 acres), of which 33 ha (82 acres) are dedicated the red wine varieties, 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot and 5% Petit verdot, and 9 ha (22 acres) for white wine production of the varieties 55% Sémillon, 40% Sauvignon blanc, and 5% Muscadelle. The annual production averages 20,000 cases of the red Grand Vin and 11,000 of the dry white. Of the second wine Lagrave Martillac made from the estate's youngest vines, there are produced 4,000 cases of red and 2,000 cases of dry white.
