Château La Tour Blanche Sauternes 1990

We love the quintessential sweet wines of Bordeaux and not just because our restaurants are called Noble Rot! The result of unique natural conditions and meticulous vineyard work, these wines are made at the mercy of the weather gods.

Triggered by morning mists alternating with hot afternoons, a result of the confluence of the cold River Ciron meeting the warmer Garonne, noble rot (a.k.a. Botrytis cinerea) shrivels Sémillon and Sauvignon Blanc grapes on the vine, intensifying their sugar and acidity.

Skilled pickers must then pass through the vineyard multiple times to ensure that only bunches affected by Botrytis are harvested. Whereas one vine will produce approximately a bottle of top red Bordeaux, in Sauternes and Barsac it takes one vine to produce just one glass.

Richly layered with spiced apricot and orange marmalade flavours balanced by vibrant, refreshing acidity, these long-lasting wines pair remarkably with a wide range of dishes – most famously with salty blue cheese but also Chinese pork and wasabi-spiked sushi.

Regarded for centuries as the world’s most prized bottles, sweet white Bordeaux has suffered something of an image problem recently, seen as something you might drink with your auntie at Christmas.

In truth these complex wines are far more exciting than that, and this parcel of perfectly stored half bottles from a string of stellar vintages represents some of the greatest value wines you'll find anywhere.

This First Growth property, owned by the French Ministry of Agriculture since 1911, produces some of the richest and most long-lived wines in Sauternes. Sumptuous and creamy, the 1990 is loaded with caramelised orchard fruit and toasted nuts.