Chateau Talbot 2016
SKU
TACS201610 UCAU
-
"This is a juicy wine, already bursting with fruit and well-integrated tannins." Wine Enthusiast
-
"The 2016 Talbot is shaping up to be a jewel of a wine." Antonio Galloni
-
"Great balance of fruit and acidity, this is one of the fresher wines of the appellation." Jane Anson, Decanter
-
1 or more bottles$154.00
-
Wine Spectator96* points
-
Wine Enthusiast95* points
-
Antonio Galloni95* points
-
Decanter94 points
-
James Suckling94* points
Editors notes
The blend is 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 39% Merlot and 6% Petit Verdot.
"The 2016 Talbot has a conservative bouquet with slightly leafy black fruit, a subtle earthiness that percolates through with time. The palate is medium-bodied with crisp and tensile tannin. There is an edginess to this Talbot, and it does not quite possess the harmony and charm of other Saint Julien 2016s." Neal Martin
Details
-
Wine Type
-
Vintage
-
Variety
-
Brand
-
Location
-
Cellaring
-
Closure
-
Alcohol Percentage
-
Bottle Size
-
Oak Type
Tasting Profile
-
Light (Light)Full (Full)
-
Low Tannin (Low Tannin)Tannic (Tannic)
-
Sweet (Sweet)Dry (Dry)
-
Low Acidity (Low Acidity)High Acidity (High Acidity)
-
Aroma
- Blueberry
- Boysenberry
- Herbal
-
Palate
- Blue Fruits
- Cassis
- Graphite
Food Pairings
-
Pork -
Red Meat
Critic Scores & reviews
-
Wine Spectator
96*"Pure, with a core of cassis and blueberry fruit streaming through, carried by ample yet embedded graphite-edged grip. Keeps a fresh feel through the finish. Lovely. 93-96 points."
-
Wine Enthusiast
95*"Barrel Sample. This is a juicy wine, already bursting with fruit and well-integrated tannins. It is a wine with a medium-term future, best enjoyed around 2026. 93-95 points."
-
Antonio Galloni
95*"The 2016 Talbot is shaping up to be a jewel of a wine. Black cherry, plum, gravel, smoke, lavender and mint all flesh out in this decidedly imposing, vertical Saint-Julien. Concentrated and forbiddingly tannic at this stage, the 2016 is going to need at least a few years to start coming into its own. It should age gracefully for decades.The blend is 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 39% Merlot and 6% Petit Verdot. Stéphane Derenoncourt and Julien Lavenu consult. Tasted three times. 92-95 points."
-
Decanter
94"Lovely deep damson colour with violet edging that suggests a healthy pH. Great balance of fruit and acidity, this is one of the fresher wines of the appellation. The fruit is cleanly extracted, fresh and well paced, with a lovely layer of complexity driven by smoke-edged mineral notes. Aged in 50% new oak. Drinking Window 2027 - 2050 Tasted by Jane Anson"
-
James Suckling
94*"A full-bodied red that stays in check with a firm and lightly chewy tannin backbone. Full body and an intense finish. Shows excellent potential. 93-94 points."
Other vintages
Love this wine? Here's a list of other vintages we have in stock if you'd like to try them as well.
There are no other vintages found.
Current auction
All current auctions for this wine & any different vintages.
Locations
France
Wine is being produced throughout France and has been done for over 2,500 years with certain Châteaux dating their history back to Roman times, around 6th Century BC. Ranking second in the world in per-capita consumption and first in total production quantity. More so than the overall quantity of wine is the quantity of truly great wines coming out of France makes the nation the envy of wine-making nations worldwide.
Two concepts pivotal to the higher end French wines, in particular, are the idea of 'terroir' and the Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC) system. Terroir refers to the way the geography, geology and climate find their way into the glass, telling a story of the origin of the wine. The AOC was set up in 1935 and has the primary goal of protecting the authenticity of the wines and the livelihoods of the producers. Appellation rules strictly define which varieties of grapes and winemaking practices are approved for classification in each of France's several hundred geographically defined appellations, which can cover entire regions, individual villages or in some cases, like in Burgundy even specific vineyards.
Classic wine regions in France include Champagne (home of Champagne), Burgundy (Pinot Noir and Chardonnay), Bordeaux (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec, Petit Verdot), Alsace (Aromatic varietals), Loire Valley (Chenin Blanc, Crémant) and the Rhône Valley (Syrah, Grenache Mourvedre)
The Bordeaux classification of 1855 is still in use, as is the Sauternes and Barsac Classification of the same year. Wines from certain regions can be bought En Primeur, which is when the wine is sold prior to it being bottled.
Bordeaux
Bordeaux has a rich history of winemaking, dating back to the Roman times. Today, it is known as one of the most significant wine regions in the world, with a reputation for producing complex, full-bodied red wines. The region is home to a diverse range of terroirs, each with its own unique microclimate, soil composition, and grape varieties.
The left bank of Bordeaux is dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon, which thrives in the region's gravelly soils. These wines tend to be bold, tannic, and complex, with notes of blackcurrant, cedar, and tobacco. On the right bank, Merlot is king, producing wines that are softer and fruitier, with notes of plum, cherry, and chocolate.
Aside from the red blends, Bordeaux is also renowned for its sweet wines, particularly from the Sauternes and Barsac appellations. These wines are made using a unique process that involves botrytis, or "noble rot," which concentrates the sugars in the grapes, resulting in a lusciously sweet and complex wine.
Bordeaux's classification system has evolved over time, with some estates moving up or down the ranks depending on the quality of their wines. Today, the system includes five growths, with Premier Cru being the highest and Deuxièmes Crus being the second-highest. There is also a separate classification for the sweet wines of Sauternes and Barsac, with Chateau d’Yquem holding the highest rank.
Overall, Bordeaux is a region that continues to captivate wine enthusiasts around the world with its rich history, diverse terroirs, and exceptional wines.
Medoc
Home to over 650 vineyards and spanning over 4,900 hectares, Bordeaux’s Médoc wine region comprises four of the most distinguished wine villages in the area: Saint-Estephe, Saint-Julien, Pauillac, and Margaux. The peninsula of Médoc is home to coastal lagoons, sand dunes, and pine forests. It is known to have formed into a peninsula over time as the Garonne and Dordogne rivers carried in large quantities of mineral rich silt and light reflective, well drained gravel, which turned out to be perfect for harvesting red wine grapes such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot. The main aromas of the beautifully refined red wines from this area are: spices, oak, red fruit and vanilla.
The region of Médoc is divided into three areas: the Landes du Médoc, the Bas-Médoc, and the Haut-Médoc. The Landes du Médoc is located in the entire western half of the peninsula. Although there are no vineyards here, the land is still important because its pine trees protect the grape vines from the harsh cold winds blowing in from the Atlantic Ocean. The Bas-Médoc( lower-Médoc) runs downstream on the estuarine side of the peninsula. The wines produced here are usually more affordable than those produced in Haut-Médoc. Haut-Médoc (upper-Médoc) is the most well-known of the three sections. The wines produced here are some of the most expensive wines worldwide and were famously ranked in The Médoc Classification of 1855, which is to this day in use.
About the brand Chateau Talbot
Médoc Grand Cru Classé, Château Talbot comprises of 107 hectares of vineyard cultivated in the heart of the Saint-Julien commune. An outstanding appellation it counts no fewer than 11 classified growths. The Château Used To Be The Property Of Sir John Talbot, Governor Of Aquitaine, Earl Of Shrewsbury, In The 15th Century.The Property Belonged To The Marquis Of Aux For Several Decades, Receiving Its First Cocks & Féret Lists In 1846 And 1855 And Fourth Growth Classification In 1855, Was Then Bought By Monsieur A. Claverie In 1899, Before Being Acquired By Désiré Cordier In 1917. His Son Georges, Then His Grandson Jean Inherited The Property And Since His Death In 1993 The Present Owners Are His Daughters Lorraine Rustmann And Nancy Bignon-cordier, The Fourth Generation Of The Cordier Family.
Ideally situated on the banks of the estuary of the Gironde on hilltops of alluvial gravel carried by the Dordogne River from the Massif Central and from the Pyrénées by the Garonne, Château Talbot’s terroir is exceptional.
In contrast with the austerity of concrete, here one encounters the curves and warmth of wood. With 1,800 barrels lined up in cool half-light, the cellar is maintained at 16° which creates the perfect cellaring conditions to mature their wines.
The wine is aged for 14 months in 50 to 60 percent new barrels, originating from eight different coopers. The choice of cooper, the length of aging, and the pace of racking vary, based on the style and development of the various lots. Regular tasting of the wines determines these choices and aging is continuously adapted to each wooden tank’s character until final blending.
Depending on the vintage, Talbot’s top wine represents 50 to 60% of the estate’s production. The estate’s rigorous selection enables the production of a second wine too, named le Connétable Talbot, this second wine holds an outstanding quality to price ratio.
Blending is one of the most delicate operations when it comes to producing wines. Varieties, parcels, terroirs, age of vines, new or old barrels, the many individual decisions render this operation incredibly complex. Nancy Bignon-Cordier and Lorraine Cordier, with the help of oenologist Jacques Boissenot and Stéphane Derenoncourt, seek to attain for each vintage the highest level of complexity for Château Talbot wines.
You May Also Like
Customer Reviews
Write Your Own Review