Bordeaux 2010 - Château Balestard La Tonnelle

The St Emilion UGC is not the place one expects to find anything but nasty surprises. Yes, the Nicolas Thienpont wines always shine, but many of the others are, well, dross! Nevertheless, we boldly step into the fray each year, just in case... Our persistence was rewarded (thankfully). The very first wine, one Château Balestard La Tonnelle, Grand Cru Classé, bowled us over. What a wine. Great concentration, beautiful, precise flavours, well managed tannins and lots of freshness and lift. What more could one want? At £295 per case, this along with Tour du Pin (£300) and Moulin St Georges (not yet released) make up our hot trio from St Emilion.