Burgundy 2010 has the potential for "excellent balance and elegance", an expert claims.

Vintage Burgundy is currently proving popular with buyers, as highlighted by the recent purchase of a case of Domaine Romanee Conti 1988, sold to an Asian investor for £62,250 at Sotheby's in London.

The wealthy Chinese wine lover paid well over the £40,000-£50,000 estimate for the 12 bottles, the London Evening Standard reports.

And it seems the 2010 vintage could produce wines of a similarly high quality. Experienced American Wine Society member Dave DeSimone (Pittsburgh Tribune) described difficult weather conditions for growers this year, as a cold and damp May disrupted flowering before violent hailstorms arrived in mid-July.

However, Mr DeSimone reveals that these storms supported millerandage, where berries remain small and subsequently enhance the crop's concentration and potential quality.

He goes on to say that generalising about the 2010 vintage is "futile", with some disappointments but many excellent wines produced.