Chateau La Tour Blanche

Château La Tour Blanche is a French wine estate in the heart of Sauternes, approximately 25 miles (40 km) south of Bordeaux. The estate's vineyards are predominantly planted to the traditional Sauternes grape varieties Sémillon (83 percent), Sauvignon Blanc (12 percent) and Muscadelle (5 percent).

The château was constructed in the 18th Century and subsequently gained Premier Cru status in the official 1855 Classification of Sauternes and Barsac. At the start of the 20th Century, the estate's owner, Daniel Iffla, gave the estate to the French State with the stipulation that a wine school be founded there. In 1911, the La Tour Blanche School of Viticulture and Oenology was formed, and today Château La Tour Blanche is still overseen by wine trade professionals.

Château La Tour Blanche makes four wines: Tour Blanche (Premier Cru), Les Charmilles de Tour Blanche, Jardins de Thinoy and Cru du Cinquet. The Tour Blanche is a classic Sauternes blend of Sémillon, Sauvignon Blanc and Muscadelle and has an annual production averaging 45,000 bottles. The Les Charmilles de Tour Blanche wine is only vinified in stainless steel vats and is made from selectively harvested grapes and part of the juice for the Premier Cru wine. Jardins de Thinoy is a dry white wine made entirely from Sauvignon Blanc, and the Cru du Cinquet is the estate's only red wine, made predominantly from Merlot with a small amount of Malbec.

The grapes are harvested by hand over a series of multiple passes through the vineyard to ensure only the sufficiently botrytized berries are selected. The grapes are pneumatically pressed and aged for around 16 to 18 months in traditional French oak barrels.