Chateau Talbot - Saint Julien Red 2019

Wine Region: Bordeaux - France (A charming and dense 4th Classified Growth from Saint-Julien) 

Grape: 69% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot.

Tasting Notes: Ripe redcurrants and plums with violet and other flowers on the nose. Full-bodied with firm, polished tannins that are ripe yet firm. Pure fruit here. Pretty center-palate. Chewy finish. Give this at least five or six years to come around. Best after 2026.

Expert Ratings:

Wine Enthusiast 96/100

Barrel Sample. A rich, spicy and smoky wine, this has generous tannins to balance the blackberry fruit flavors. The structure is already impressive, showing ripeness as well as density, which is promising for plenty of aging.

Wine Spectator 95/100

Well-built and rather refined for the vintage, with a deep well of red and black currant paste and plum reduction flavors supported by a deeply inlaid iron note, all of which run the length of the wine. Offers subtle savory, tobacco and singed cedar notes that add range, with a savory echo that leaves a mouthwatering feel in the end. Built to cellar. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot. Best from 2025 through 2040. 23,333 cases made, 1,167 cases imported.

About the Winery: Château Talbot, a 4th Classified Growth from Saint-Julien, is one of the Médoc's iconic references. Acquired by Désiré Cordier in 1918, Château Talbot is now run by Nancy Bignon-Cordier and her husband, Jean-Paul Bignon. Chateau Talbot's vineyard is a real gem, situated in the heart of the Saint-Julien appellation, it spreads over a 110-hectare single block vineyard, of which 102.5 hectares are dedicated to the estate’s First Wine. These vines, which are 51 years old on average, are idyllically situated on the banks of the Gironde estuary and rest on the alluvial gravel Médoc hills. Harvested by hand, the grapes are then sorted (manually and optically) before being vinified in wooden tanks. The wine is aged for 15 months in barrels, 50% of which are new.