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Château La Louvière

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Address: 33850 Léognan

Telephone: +33 (0)5 56 64 75 87

E-mail: andrelurton@andrelurton.com

Website: www.andrelurton.com

Modern winemaking here, Château La Louvière produces excellent white and red wines. The beautiful late eighteenth century chateau is the home of André Lurton, the patriarch of the Lurton Bordeaux dynasty.

Vineyards/Terroir: 48 hectares of vineyard on siliceous gravel with limestone on the lower slopes. Red varieties comprise 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot. White varieties comprise 85% Sauvignon Blanc and 15% Sémillon.

Winemaking/Elévage: Red wine spends 12-18 months in barrel [75% new] and the white spends 9-12 months in barrel on lees, 40% of which are new.

Tasting notes:

White:
  • 2015 Pale Straw; fresh cut grass; some lees; appetizing; pear drops; palate has attractive texture with zip and life; nice mouthful which promises to be excellent. [100% Sauvignon Blanc]. Tasted UGCB 7/6/16. Drink 2017-2025. 90-92+
  • 2014 Washed silver/gold; grapefruit and apple tones; saline touch; attractive; some race and acidity on the palate; lively elegant style with zip and acidity; finishes trifle short will fill out. [85% Sauvignon Blanc, 15% Sémillon]. Drink 2017-2022. Tasted UGCB 1 April, 2015. 88-90+
  • 2013 Palest straw; full aromatics; some peach and white melon tones with waxy note; palate round but with fine acidity which leaves a salty tang on the fresh finish. Spot on. Tasted UGCB April 2014. Drink 2015-2022. 89-91+
  • 2012 Palest green/silver; sturdy apple notes with a little animal note; crisp palate; needs to fill out a bit; some race and zip with some grapefruit and lanolin tones. Drink 2015-2020. 88+ UGC Oct ’14 [Earlier note] Full and quite deep on the nose; broad; some spice on the palate, ginger and candy tones; will fill out further. Modern. 87-89+ Tasted Monday April 8, 2013 at Chateau Olivier’s Pessac-Léognan tasting
  • 2011 Palest straw; spicy aromatics with citrus tones and oyster shell hints; palate shows lots of citrusy, grassy fruit with oak; needs to meld a bit but lots of life and refreshment on offer here. Drink 2014-2021. 88+ UGC Oct ’13 [Earlier note] Palest straw, hint of gold; some grapefruit and citrus notes on the nose; hint of lees, apples and feels taut; some oyster shell; apple and minerality; very attractive; taut palate with race and zing; apples and citrus/lemon zest; some spices; very attractive and will fill out further I imagine. Nice length. Good wine and real potential. 91-92+
  • 2010 Palest green/gold; sweet and sour notes on the nose; grapefruit, lees along with spicy oak notes; bold and spicy palate with plenty of fat and depth; lots to savour here – salty tang/wet rock tang. Impressive effort. 91+  [Earlier] Pale straw; candy, some lees, some soap and grapefruit; waxy nicely done palate, good density here and will develop very well. Nice acid and balance. 90-92+ [85% Sauvignon Blanc, 15% Sémillon, barrel ferment in new oak, aged 10-12 months]. Tasted 6 April 2011 UGC.
  • 2009 Pale straw; healthy; fresh some grass, some wax; full waxy palate; spicy and weighty; full and bold. Lees notes on the finish. Strong wine. 90+/100 [Earlier] Very clean, very grassy style; hay and meadow in early summer, palate some barrique notes and wax. Not huge acid. Pretty good. 88+ [100% Sauvignon Blanc 30% barrel ferment] UGC primeur tastings.
  • 2008 Gold, quite solid, feels a bit reductive on the nose, some wax on the palate. Not that expressive at present. 87 UGC Oct ‘10

Red:

  • 2015 Mid depth; lively colour at edge; composed black creamy fruits; smoke; very mannered and attractive; very Bordeaux; like this; good to drink and very nicely balance. Great effort. [60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, 14% alc, 50% new oak]. Tasted UGCB 7/4/16. Drink 2019-2028. 90-92
  • 2014 Deep and dark; creamy blackcurrant aromatics; some sweet oak; spices; attractive and layered on the nose; toasty note and black fruits too; black cherry notes continue on the palate with dark chocolate and freshness on the end. Plenty of elements here – fruit, oak, acidity – needs to meld during elevage, which it undoubtedly will. [70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot]. Drink 2018-2028. Tasted 1 April, 2015 UGC. 87-89+
  • 2013 Deepish core in glass with vibrant purple at edge; lots of oak perfume on the nose; some black fruits; fruit is here but rather chewy and extracted at present; there is a lot of Cabernet texture. Should settle but pretty chewy currently. [70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot]. Drink 2018-2025. 85-87
  • 2012 Mid red; lifted blackcurrant aromatics with attractive undergrowth tones; easy palate at first but then some chew to the tannins. Should settle with a year or so in bottle. Drink 2015-2022. 86+ UGC Oct ’14 [Earlier note] Mid depth; some spices, stalky Cab notes; feels high-toned and elegant; some blackcurrant and cassis tones; palate cool and pure works in a du Tertre-ish way. Freshness and acid but not over extracted or drying which is the key. Little angular on the finish but will be ok. 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot 86-88 Tasted Wednesday April 10, 2013 at UGC 2011 Deep and dark; primary fruit nose; big stalky Cabernet; feels fresh and unworked [a relief in this vintage]; blackcurrant purity on the palate, nicely done. Clean and pure and works very well. Some chew at the end but overall very clean and not at all fatiguing. Good effort in this vintage. [65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot] 89-91+
  • 2011 Mid depth; lifted and reasonably attractive nose – leafy blackcurrants and earthy tones; blackcurrant tones initially and then the fruit closes down with tannin and acid leaving a [currently] mean finish. May come good but again expect the palate to always be angular and lacking generosity on the finish. Drink 2016-2021. 86 UGC Oct ’13
  • 2010 Deep and saturated; quite savoury, meaty note alongside the black fruits; very full and attractive; some rose petal too; quite lifted in an enticing way; blackcurrants and earthy tones on the palate too; some spicy notes; full and dense; grip and body. Lots of elements with plenty of grip and fruit. Needs a few years but another excellent effort here in 2010. 91+ [Earlier] Dense and saturated colour; fresh and ripe, strong Cabernet influence to the nose; blackcurrants; makes it cooler and fresher; lots of fruit on the palate, concentration and sumptuous fruit; blackcurrants again. Grip and tannin too. Very good prospect. 90-92+ [60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot]. Tasted 6 April 2011 UGC.
  • 2009 Mid depth; lifted red; ripe blackcurrants on the nose; cassis and blackcurrants on the palate; good chew and depth. Nicely done. 90 [Earlier] Deep; slight reductive note; some smoke at the back; slightly stalky; blackcurrants beneath; palate quite fresh with fruit tannins; extracted palate. Will knit together. Good grip. [Later] ripe red fruits, layers and fresh; sweet oak on palate and good grip. This will be 88-90 range when it settles I imagine. Tasted 31st March 2010 UGC primeur tastings
  • 2007 Mid red; quite lifted attractive nose; some plums; again quite polished and layered. Good intense wine showing well. Good effort for the vintage. 88 Oct 2009 UGC London tastings.
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