2010 Bordeaux en primeur: La Tour de By

13/04/11

In an indication of how the rest of the campaign probably won't be, Frederic Le Clerc released 2010 Tour de By at a very reasonable price indeed before we'd even stepped off the train back from Bordeaux last Friday. When we saw him at last week's UGC tastings he was grinning from ear to ear. We had hoped it was because he was pleased to see us - we have become good friends having followed the chateau for well over a decade - but when we tasted the wine we immediately understood why he was so happy. He has produced the best Tour de By to date.

It's easy to get excited about the classified stars in the Bordeaux firmament but these aren't the wines we drink on a weekly basis. Some of them are so far out of reach they are wines we can only dream of drinking. La Tour de By is the antidote to that. Situated pretty much on the banks of the Gironde on a high gravel outcrop, north of St-Estephe, the 2010 is a blend of 70% Cabernet, 25% Merlot & 5% Petit Verdot. Well drained very poor soil gives it ideal growing conditions and improvements in vineyard practice over the past few years have put the final touches to what is a very well managed property.

It's lovely stuff - it'll need at least 5 years in the cellar, but is fresh and balanced, has lovely fruit and tastes of classic Bordeaux. We're going long on it and suggest you do too. /ZA

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