CHATEAU TALBOT 4eme Grand Cru Classe, Saint-Julien 2021 Bottle

Description

The 2021 Château Talbot has received impressive accolades, marking it as a standout wine. Decanter awarded it 93 points for its captivating aromas of spearmint and blackcurrants, enriched by a beautiful perfume. The wine displays excellent intensity of blackcurrant juice, showcasing a linear and direct profile, balanced by fine, gripping tannins that introduce hints of tobacco and toasted spices. Vinous rated it 93 points, praising its aromatic layers, featuring sweet pipe tobacco and blue-toned fruits, and highlighting its impeccable balance. James Suckling awarded it 92-93 points for its fruity character, presenting currant and berry aromas with citrus hints. The Wine Advocate rated it 91-92 points, noting its wild berry and cherry aromas alongside a charming, velvety palate that promises great aging potential.

*****

Château Talbot is a renowned Bordeaux wine estate, famous among UK audiences for its historical significance tied to John Talbot, Earl of Shrewsbury, who lost his life in battle in 1453, leading to Bordeaux reverting back to French control. Owned by the Cordier family for much of the last century, Château Talbot is one of the largest estates in the Médoc, featuring a 102-hectare single vineyard located near St-Julien-Beychevelle. Besides its acclaimed red wine, notably a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (66%), Merlot (26%), Cabernet Franc (3%), and Petit Verdot (5%), the estate also produces a distinctive white wine, Le Caillou Blanc, made from Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon. Talbot’s wines are known for their consistency, elegance, and aromatic complexity, exhibiting rich aromas of cedarwood and cassis, with a palate of ripe black fruits and finely integrated tannins. Classified as a 4ème Cru Classé, Château Talbot remains a dependable choice for wine enthusiasts seeking quality St-Julien clarets.

DECANTER 93 points
Tasted by: Georgina Hindle
(at Bordeaux, 01 Apr 2022)
Part of St-Julien 2021 in bottle: Overview plus top-scoring wines
Drinking Window: 2024 - 2048
Spearmint and blackcurrants on the nose with some gorgeous perfume too. Excellent intensity of blackcurrant juice, not fleshy, more linear and direct, the lightness of flavour balancing with fine, just gripping tannins that also offer touches of tobacco and toasted spice flavours. It's overall quite a delicate and well worked wine for the vintage, with gentle fruit persistence and a lifted finish. Will no doubt round out over ageing, giving more density to the really beautifully presented floral-touched bramble fruit. Elegance and class; promising indeed.

VINOUS 93 points
The 2021 Talbot is an absolutely gorgeous wine. Aromatic, layered and impeccably balanced, Talbot is simply exquisite in 2021. Sweet pipe tobacco, incense, dried flowers, mint, licorice and blue-toned fruits are some of the notes that grace this super-refined Saint-Julien. All the elements are so well balanced. The floral, effusive finish is so inviting. - Antonio Galloni

JAMES SUCKLING 92-93 points
A fruity and attractive 2021 with currant and berry aromas and flavors. Hints of citrus. Medium body. Fresh finish.

THE WINE ADVOCATE (91-92) points
Reviewed by: William Kelley
The 2021 Talbot is promising, exhibiting aromas of wild berries, cherries, cigar wrapper and sweet spices, followed by a medium to full-bodied, layered and velvety palate that's bright and seamless, with an enveloping, charming profile despite analytically rather high levels of polyphenols. This is a fine effort that reminds Jean-Michel Laporte of the 2001 vintage in style—though the 2021 will benefit from all the improvements that the last two decades have witnessed at this address.

JAMES SUCKLING Score 92-93
A fruity and attractive 2021 with currant and berry aromas and flavors. Hints of citrus. Medium body. Fresh finish.