CHATEAU TALBOT 4eme Grand Cru Classe, Saint-Julien 2021 Bottle 13%abv MV*

Description

MV* = Market Value - No Further Discount Possible

Château Talbot is one of the best-known Bordeaux wine estates to a UK audience, not surprisingly because it takes its name from John Talbot, Earl of Shrewsbury, who in 1453 suffered the ignominy of losing the battle, and with it his life, which allowed Bordeaux and its vineyards to slip back into French control after belonging to the British Crown for over 340 years.

In the last century it has been owned by the Cordier family, and the red wine of the estate has long enjoyed a reputation for solid dependability. It is one of the largest estates in the Médoc and its 102 hectare single vineyard is situated inland from the Gironde River and west of the hamlet of St-Julien-Beychevelle.

Georges Cordier, who owned the property in the mid-20th century, was a great lover of white wine, and, determined to produce his own, took the highly unusual step of planting 5 hectares of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon in his vineyard, producing his first crop of white wine in 1945 (Le Caillou Blanc de Ch Talbot). The aim is to make wine in a Burgundian style, aged in oak barrels, with the 80% Sauvignon Blanc imparting vivacity and acidity, while the 20% Semillon imbues the wine with weight, backbone and ageing potential.

Red wine from Talbot is typically a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (66%), Merlot (26%), Cabernet Franc (3%), and Petit Verdot (5%) - the vinification includes 18 months maturation in small oak barriques (50% new).

Talbot has a reputation for consistency and is one of the most carefully made and reliable of the St-Julien Cru Classé clarets. The best examples are richly aromatic with a bouquet of cedarwood and vanilla scented cassis fruits and with a palate packed with well-delineated, ripe, black fruits and finely integrated tannins. It is classified as a 4ème Cru Classé.

THE WINE ADVOCATE Rating (91 - 92)+
Reviewed by William Kelley
Issue Date 29th Apr 2022
Source Issue 260 End of April 2022, The Wine Advocate
"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. Tasted four times."

JANCIS ROBINSON Score 16++
Drink 2028 - 2038
71% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot. Cask sample.
"Open and aromatic with blackcurrant and mineral notes. Palate unusually seductive at this stage, the fruit supple and tannins finely honed. Some grip and drive on the finish. Medium-bodied and compact, if not quite the depth of a top year."

DECANTER Score 93
Tasted by Georgina Hindle (at Bordeaux, 01 Apr 2022)
"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. Drinking Window 2024 - 2048."

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