WTN: Ch. La Louvière Blanc 2004

Since AlexR thought dry, white Bordeaux sees more negative than positive comments, I thought I would post on this very positive experience. When I tried this soon after release, I found it rather oaky for my tastes, but a few years' aging has done marvels for it. I have high hopes that this will turn out much to my taste in a couple more years. Arctic char with a lemon pasta was very nice with it.

• 2004 Château La Louvière Blanc - France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan (8/11/2008)
  24,79€; 12,5% abv; 85% Sauvignon Blanc, 15% Sémillon; under Stelvin (bravo!); from Lurton's stable. Greenish-gold colour. Though mostly Sauv bl, the scent reminds me very much of the few Hunter Valley Semillons I have had: red apple, lime, and a slight bitterness (I don't mean for it to sound off-putting, but the scent is a bit like vomit - I find this often in good Champagnes as well...). Lovely acidity, medium bodied, mineral. It does have some oak, but there is so much else, too, that I am not worried - a couple years more age should make it integrate. This seems a very young wine still and I would like to try it in a few years - I am not sure I trust the back label, though, when it says it can keep up to 30 years! A very positive experience.

Posted from CellarTracker

I tend to like this, will look for '04. Will also try not to remember vomit comparisons!

I can actually identify with that use of vomit as a wine descriptor. But I too will do my best to quickly forget it!

The meat was pretty good....aside from smelling like rotting carrion.....well that and the flies.....

Sorry, I don't think I can get past that descriptor and expect good things. and I like La Louviere.....(well I DID)

I tend to like this, will look for '04. Will also try not to remember vomit comparisons!

For the record, it's probably a butyrate ester (a by-product of ML fermentation) that he's smelling: some people's nasal cavities have high esterase activity, resulting in esters smelling like their parent acid -- in this case, butyric acid, which most people associate with vomit and/or diarrhea. It's a really, really foul molecule to work with

Mark Lipton