Chateau Talbot 2018
-
1 or more bottles$168.00
Editors notes
A great St-Julien that reflects the estate more than the vintage - a definite compliment to the winemaking team as well as those 50-year-old (on average) vines that are less swayed by climatic changes. This is full of blackberry and bilberry, with a touch of tobacco on the nose. There's good sweetness to the fruit, and although it's not quite as punchy, deep or concentrated as some, this means that it has a beautifully balanced appellation signature. 45hl/ha yield. 60% new oak.
- Decanter
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
-
Decanter
94"A great St-Julien that reflects the estate more than the vintage - a definite compliment to the winemaking team as well as those 50-year-old (on average) vines that are less swayed by climatic changes. This is full of blackberry and bilberry, with a touch of tobacco on the nose. There's good sweetness to the fruit, and although it's not quite as punchy, deep or concentrated as some, this means that it has a beautifully balanced appellation signature. 45hl/ha yield. 60% new oak."
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
91"Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2018 Talbot is just a little reduced to begin, opening out to reveal notions of warm red and black currants, baked plums and mulberries with touches of sautéed herbs, tilled soil, fallen leaves and unsmoked cigars. Medium to full-bodied, it has commendably ripe, fine-grained tannins and restrained, earthy layers on offer in the mouth with an herbal lift on the finish."
-
Neal Martin
91"The 2018 Talbot is Jean-Marc Laporte’s first vintage in charge, although he mentioned that he has not changed a great deal. It has an intense bouquet with blackberry, blueberry and violets aromas with much more vivacity than recent vintages. The palate is medium-bodied with succulent ripe tannins and clearly more mid-palate. There is just more body and presence to this Talbot compared to previous vintages, more tension and grip on the graphite tinged finish. This is very promising not only for this vintage, but for the future of Talbot. Watch this space/château."
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.
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.
Saint-Julien
Saint-Julien is an appellation for distinctive red wines of the Haut-Médoc district of Bordeaux in the South West of France. The Appellation laws for Saint-Julien were created in 1936 and state that its wines must be made from grapes grown within the villages of Saint-Julien Beychevelle, or other specific parts of the areas of Cussac and Saint-Laurent. Some of the most renowned grapes approved for growth here are Cabernet-Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot. Located between the more famous appellations of Pauillac and Margaux, this wine region is a respectable source of refined, aromatic wines which also carry tannic and masculine notes.
Producing over 450,000 cases of wine each year, Saint-Julien is divided into two vital areas, which include the riverside estates around the village of St. Julien and Southern estates around the village of Beychevelle. Home to over 26 vineyards spanning an area of 910 hectares, this area is the smallest of the major Bordeaux appellations in Médoc, but has the highest ratio of classified terroir of any Bordeaux region. The soil type of this region is made up of extremely fine gravel for the vineyards bordering the river and for those vineyards more inland, the gravel is mixed with clay, that produce grapes with a wide spectrum of explosive flavour.
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.