2016 Château Talbot
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Tasting notes
The 2016 Talbot has a delightful bouquet with brambly red berry fruit, leather and undergrowth, fine delineation and beautifully integrated oak. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy black fruit, very well balanced, not powerful, but there is plenty of finesse here and a lovely touch of black pepper lingering on the aftertaste. Give it another year or two. Tasted blind at the Southwold 10-Year-On tasting.
Critic scores
James Suckling
Wine Spectator
More reviews and scores
Young and closed even as it clocks towards eight years old, but all of the building blocks of a brilliant wine are here. A little soft through the mid palate compared to some of its sibling 2016s, but this has charm, St Julien finesse, great length. Higher Merlot than usual because of the particular success of this variety, yet this remains full of Left Bank character - pencil lead, slate, woodsmoke, blackberry. Eric Boissenot consultant, 50% new oak for ageing, Jean-Pierre Marty director.
55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 39% Merlot, 6% Petit Verdot. Deep crimson hue. Pure, ripe, dark-fruit aroma intertwined with a smoky, flinty freshness. Still quite closed but very precise. Generous mid-palate fruit covers a plethora of firm but fine tannin. Structured but seductive at the same time. Lifts and drives with a saline note on the finish. Both delicious and ambitious. (JL)
Jean-Michel Laporte (previously at La Conseillante) arrived as technical director in 2018, just as this wine was being bottled, and it's not a bad vintage to usher him in to the world of Château Talbot. I drank this at friend's house a few months ago, and it had been open 24 hours by the time we were pouring it out, which just might be the ideal time, as the tannins were soft and open, and everything felt plush and welcoming. It has the balance of the appellation, the precision that Talbot has increasingly showcased over the past few years, and a sappy feel to the tannins. 50% new oak. Stéphane Derenoncourt as consultant, with Eric Boissenot.
About the producer
Quality has not necessarily always lived up to this property’s Fourth Growth status, however there have been significant improvements in recent years, with a sustainable focus in the vineyard, and new winery and cellar.