2024 Balestard la Tonnelle
Buying options
Tasting Notes
Deep garnet-purple in color. Offers broody notes of damp soil and tar before giving way to a core of baked plums and raspberries, plus a hint of balsamic. The medium-bodied palate is chewy and savory with soft acidity and a rugged finish.
Critic Scores
Average Score
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
Neal Martin, Vinous
More reviews and scores
From the plateau calcaire and based on 56% Merlot, 27% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 17% Cabernet Franc, the 2024 Château Balestard La Tonnelle offers darker fruits, spicy oak, tobacco, and lead pencil notes. This ripe, forward, fleshy, opulent wine has lots of new oak that's nicely integrated, and it's balanced and ripe, with velvety tannins. It's a pleasure-bent effort. The wine was aged in 40% new barrels.
The 2024 Balestard La Tonnelle is a soft, open-knit Saint-Émilion with lovely aromatic presence to play off its core of red-toned fruit. It offers fine balance and the textural depth to back it all up. Floral notes perk up the finish.
The 2024 Balestard de Tonelle feels flat and muddled on the nose. It lacks the superb scents of the 2022. My second bottle demonstrated more precision. The palate is better with sappy red fruit, gentle grip and an appealing, elegant finish. Hopefully the aromatics will pull its socks up.