Chateau Talbot Connetable Talbot Saint-Julien 2017

From the plateau of Saint-Julien, one can spot Château Talbot in the distance in the midst of an ocean of vines, parks and tall trees.The estate has a rich history. Its name originates with Connétable Talbot, Earl of Shrewsbury, governor of Guyenne as well as being a famous English military commander, who was defeated at the battle of Castillon in 1453. In 1855, at the time of the Médoc and Graves growth classifications ordered by Emperor Napoleon III, Château Talbot was promoted as a fourth classified growth of Saint-Julien. For several decades it belonged to the Marquis of Aux and was the purchased in 1918 by Désiré Cordier.

4th Médoc Grand Cru Classé, Château Talbot comprises 110 hectares of a single vineyard in the heart of the Saint-Julien commune, an outstanding appellation as it counts no fewer than 11 classified growths.

Ideally situated on the banks of the Gironde estuary on hilltops of alluvial gravel carried by the Dordogne River from the Massif Central and from the Pyrenees by the Garonne, Château Talbot’s terroir is exceptional.

The totality of the 110 hectares of the Château Talbot vineyard surrounds the estate house and stretches north, all the way to the border with the Pauillac appellation. Planted on a terroir of fine Gunzian gravels with a core of fossil-rich limestone, which form draining hilltops, one finds a large majority of red vines (105 hectares) and a small acreage of whites (5 hectares).

The impeccable management of the vineyard is one of the most irreproachable in the Medoc. The wines, supervised by Nancy Bignon-Cordier, with the valuable advice of enologist Eric Boissenot and consultant Stéphane Derenoncourt, are consistently rich while remaining extremely elegant.

The smooth taste and their silky tannins make it possible to drink them young as well as after prolonged aging. With time they develop a delicate, complex aromatic bouquet with tones of cedar and Havana tobacco.

Château Talbot is certified High Environmental Value Level 3.

This is one of the best second wines of the Médoc. Connétable saw the light of day in the sixties. It has benefited over the years from all the care given to the vineyard and increasingly severe selections.

Like its predecessor Chateau Talbot, this is a classic, elegant wine with a clear, well-designed structure and a long, fresh finish.

The Connetable de Talbot St. Julien from the Bordeaux wine-growing region, aged in barrels, is displayed in the glass in bright crimson. The bouquet of this Bordeaux red wine impresses with notes of blackcurrant, mulberry, blackberry and blueberry. If we continue to feel the aroma, we add toasted barrique, Mediterranean herbs and green peppers.



This dry red wine from Château Talbot is just right for wine lovers who like it absolutely dry. Balanced and complex, this dense and silky red wine presents itself on the palate. The finale of this well-ripened red wine from the Bordeaux wine-growing region, more precisely from Saint Julien, finally convinces with remarkable reverberation.

Drink this red wine from France ideally tempered at 15 - 18°C as a companion to cod with cucumber mustard vegetables, rum pot or Boeuf Bourguignon.

Awards

Wine Spectator Mar 31, 2020

"Features an alluring creamed loganberry fruit profile, inlaid with subtle graphite and apple wood accents. Hints of tar and savory show on the finish. Solidly built and approachable now. Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Drink now through 2026. 20,000 cases made." (90 pts.)

JamesSuckling.com Friday, January 10, 2020

"An outstanding second wine from Château Talbot. Medium-bodied palate with currant, chocolate, coffee-bean and cedar character. Round, chewy tannins and a rich, flavorful finish. Lovely length. Give it two or three years to soften. Better after 2021." (92 pts.)