Chateau La Tour Blanche, or La Tour-Branche is a sweet white wine ranked as First Growth in the Original Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855.
First Growth - highest and most prestigious tier a winery can get.
History
- Estate origins to 18th century, connect them to Jean Saint Marc du Latorublanche, treasurer general to Louis XIV.
- Post French Revolution, it was owned by Pierre Pecherie.
- Later it was the German owner Frederic Focke who was credited with bringing the idea of `noble rot` which helped the winery secure it’s First Growth Ranking.
- Later, it was acquired by Daniel Ifla (aka Osiris).
- He didn’t have any heirs, so after he died, he passed it over to French state on a condition to open a winery school on the property.
- Since then, it has been owned by the French state
Birthplace of Modern Sauternes
- Heavily credited with inventing how Sauternes wine is made today.
Rare Grape Blend
- While most Sauternes vineyards rely strictly on Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc, La Tour Blanche maints a notably high percentage of Muscadelle.
- This rare grape injects highly distinct exotic, and spicy complexities into their sweet wines.