HSE Château la Tour Blanche 2013

Distilled at Distillerie du Simon for HSE, this Château la Tour Blanche is a 2013 Martinique AOC agricole aged a little over six years and bottled at 41%. HSE is known for its vintages and cask treatments, and this expression takes its name from a Sauternes wine estate, lending it a softer, fruitier slant.

Pressed from fresh sugarcane juice and distilled on a creole column run low to keep the vegetal congeners, it matures in ex-bourbon oak that folds into a rounded, gentle profile at this strength. The nose is fruity with vanilla, wood and oak, the palate is woody and round with vanilla and dried apricot, and the finish brings spice, fruit and candied notes. There is just enough wood and spice to give it depth without weight, and a pleasing wine-and-orange thread runs through. Unsweetened and easy-drinking, it offers a lot of charm for the price as a relaxed aged agricole.