Talbot 2016

Tasted blind. Deep crimson. Rich and sweet. Pretty fluid and a bit tart on the end. Sweet and opulent. Quite flashy.Drink 2025 – 2035

Brought up in 50% new oak, the 2016 Château Talbot is a winner and certainly over-delivers. Powerful notes of crème de cassis, tobacco leaf, lead pencil, and leafy herbs all give way to a silky, seamless Saint-Julien that has remarkable purity of fruit and building, fine tannins. It’s the texture as well as the purity that set this apart, and readers looking for a great value should purchase a case of this beauty. Drink 2023-2048.

The nose appears quite closed fresh but the fruit on the palate is sweet and ripe. Rich in the middle depth of flavour concentrated black fruits supported by fine tannins. Rich fruit at the back the finish has depth of flavour. 2025-40

This is the best young Talbot I’ve had for a while, underlining recent improvements at the château. Dense, chewy and made to last, with serious tannic structure, waves of damson and blueberry fruit, well handled oak and bright acidity. 2026-34

The 2016 Talbot takes a little coaxing from the glass. The almost Margaux-like nose features pure blackberry and black cherries, and violets come through with time. You just want it to give you more. The medium-bodied palate is a little gravelly and saline, with fine tannin and a structured finish that needs more finesse and complexity. This is a fine classic Talbot, though not in the same league as the appellation's front-runners. Drink 2022-2045

The 2016 Talbot has a conservative bouquet with slightly leafy black fruit, a subtle earthiness that percolates through with time. At first, the aromatics seem standoffish, but you gradually warm to its charms. The palate is medium-bodied with crisp and tensile tannin. There is an edginess to this Talbot, and it does not quite possess the harmony and charm of other Saint Julien 2016s. But, there is personality here—a bit curmudgeonly and yet you keep going back to take another sip. One to watch. Drink 2022 - 2045.

A full-bodied red that stays in check with a firm and lightly chewy tannin backbone. Full body and an intense finish. Shows excellent potential.

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.

Lovely deep damson colour with violet edging that suggests a healthy pH. Great balance of fruit and acidity, this is one of the fresher wines of the appellation. The fruit is cleanly extracted, fresh and well paced, with a lovely layer of complexity driven by smoke-edged mineral notes. Aged in 50% new oak.Drinking Window 2027 - 2050

Very dark and shiny. Not that intense but very well mannered. Sweet, almost thick, start. Very flattering. If I had to choose one wine to represent the vintage in typical style I might well choose this one – though the hint of heat on the end is a little worrying. Should be rewarding in the end. Great harmony. Drink 2025-2045