Talbot 2010

Dark crimson. Delightful, rather floral fragrance. Medium weight. Polished and fine. A really very winning wine with great balance even if it is not the most intense 2010. For relatively early drinking.

Rich ripe black cherry and cassis are very much in evidence on the nose but the tannins are firm holding back the fruit on the mid and back palate. There is some complexity but it feels as though a bit of richness and depth.

Rich, very ripe cassis Cabernet fruit, smooth, even succulent flavours, quite an open style in this vintage. Drink 2016-26.

Abundant amounts of sweet, up-front fruit give this wine a precocious appeal compared to many of its brethren. It exhibits a dense plum/ruby/purple hue along with sweet boysenberry, black currant, cherry, smoke and licorice aromas and flavors. This deep, medium to full-bodied, classic Talbot should be approachable when released, and age effortlessly for 15 or more years.

Tasted at the chateau and at the UGC, the Talbot was picked from 29th September with the young vines and around the 4th October for the older. This is the second vintage under Stephane Derenancourt. A blend 63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot, the 2010 has a refined bouquet that for me, has better harmony and focus than the 2009 at this stage last year, a purity that perhaps has been missing from the estate in recent vintages. The palate is impressive: the Cabernet Sauvignon very pure and focused, a newfound sense of mineralité and elegance and precision towards the finish. One of the best Talbot produced in recent years...but there is still room to improve. Drink 2014- Tasted April 2011.