Tinel-Blondelet's Pouilly-Fumé 2010 has everything a great Pouilly-Fumé should, and was a gold medal winner at the 2011 Concours Général Agricole in Paris.

Situated beside the old Roman road above the east bank of the Loire, Tinel-Blondelet's 35-year-old vines are sited on slopes of Kimmeridgian marl (a mixture of limestone, clay and fossilised oyster shells as found in the best vineyards of Chablis). This wonderful terroir gives this classic Pouilly-Fumé its world renowned mineral nuances, while great fruit concentration is derived from super-ripe grapes that bask on south-facing slopes. This has everything a great Pouilly-Fumé should.

Arret Buffate refers to a rest stop for horse-drawn carriages that used to run through the site when it was a Roman road. Travellers could stop for liquid refreshment – and in that sense little has changed – although the wines have come on an awfully long way since!

The superb 2010 vintage has geat concentration and backbone, with floral and mineral aromatic complexity and glorious mouthfilling depth. Fine balance and great finesse, with a capacity to develop for four years or more in bottle if well cellared.