Chateau Balestard La Tonnelle 2005 St. Emilion Grand Cru

The Capdemourlin family, owners of Chateau La Tonnelle Balestard have owned vineyards in Saint Emilion since 1647. And of the 3 Grand Cru St. Emilion estates they own, this is the flagship. Located on the top of a clay-limestone hill at the entrance of the city of St. Emilion. La Tonnelle is the old watch tower from the fifteenth century that still stands in the middle of the vineyard today. The vines are 70% Merlot , 25% Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon with an average age of 33 years. This wine from the extraordinary 2005 vintage is a marvel. Tightly wound and laced with formidable tannins in its youth it has now blossomed into a lush, voluptuously rich red with layers of complexity. Velvety soft, this is a truly impressive bottle of Bordeaux. Most reviews reference the tannic structure the wine showed at the time of release but Connoissuer's Guide saw the potential. They scored it 90 points saying "Big, ripe and rich in a way the reflects both the vintage and the new Bordeaux model, this bottling begins with a classic St. Emilion nose of ripe cherries, tobacco and roasted herbs and follows with like-minded flavors that show plenty of ripeness and extract. Supple in front and fairly tannic in back, it extends very well at finish"