Château Talbot 2018

It opens juicy and fruity, with compact, seamlessly dense tannins, and a full, long finish: flawlessly crafted, true to the vintage yet stylish.

This is densely packed with ripe macerated fig, blackberry and plum flavors supported by tar and bramble notes that meld steadily through the finish. Notes of applewood and anise flash throughout. For the cellar. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot. Best from 2023 through 2036. 21,665 cases made.

The youthful and sumptuous 2018 comes in a strikingly heavy engraved bottle that celebrates the 100th anniversary of Cordier ownership. It is both delicious and atypical. Atypical, because this ripe and juicy wine, weighing in at a stated 14.5% alcohol, is unusually muscular for St-Julien. Delicious, because its exuberant fruitiness and silky, suave texture makes it hard to resist now. More in keeping with a California-style wine than a St-Julien, it is nonetheless a marvellous combination and balance of power and elegance. Laporte describes the 2018 as 'a garage wine' and not the style he wants to make. He attributes its size to the warmth of the vintage and thinks it will settle down with proper ageing.

Rich aromas of blackcurrant, blackberry, chocolate, tobacco and licorice. Oyster shell, too. It’s full-bodied with firm, well-integrated tannins. Polished, silky layers with a long finish. Gorgeous ripe and bright fruit at the center palate. Best in a long time. Try from 2025.

Smoke, espresso, tobacco leaf, cedar, currants and spice create a beautiful nose. On the palate, the wine is round, juicy, fruity, and packed with sweet currants, herbs and oak. Give this at least 8 years of cellaring to develop more nuances and for the oak to better integrate.

Deep ruby garnet, purple glints, faintly lighter at the rim. Elegant spiced wood tones, cassis, blackberries, a hint of nougat, followed by tobacco and mineral touches. Succulent, refined, chocolatey texture, lush cherries, round tannins, and persistence. Excellent ageing potential. (2025-2045)

Kunz barrel sample 19: deep, dark, closed bouquet, black berries, fine woods, mocha. Dense, muscular, aromatic palate with powerful fruit, plenty of fine tannins, a finely firm structure, dark aromatics, long, concentrated finish.

Herbs, deep, spicy, dark bouquet, black cassis, cold smoke, tobacco, dark wood. Powerful, aromatic palate with dark fruit, good tannins, muscular structure, intense aromatics, long, aromatic finish. 18/20 2026 - 2045

Vibrant plum colour, warm and welcoming aromatics, cloves and turmeric spice. This stretches out across the palate, showing a luscious, satiny texture that reflects the warmth of the vintage, with slightly higher alcohol than usual (rare at Talbot, which tends to show lower alcohol than its neighbours, like Lafite in Pauillac). Dark chocolate, espresso, fennel, cassis and gunsmoke, generous and a little atypical. Special anniversary bottle to celebrate 100 years under the Bignon-Cordier family. 60% new oak for ageing as of this vintage, and Jean-Michel Laporte’s first as director.

The 2018 Talbot is deep garnet-purple in color. It offers scents of blackberries and mulberries, plus a touch of dried roses. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has a lively backbone and firm, grainy tannins, finishing on a mineral note.

Compact black berries, subtly spiced, emerge after a quick airing of the wine. The juice, both supple and concentrated without heaviness, carries through to a persistent finish.

The nose offers power, elegance, lovely intensity (all in finesse) as well as fine-grained texture, depth, and great precision. It reveals notes of vibrant boysenberry, wild strawberry, and, more subtly, lily, combined with touches of blueberry and sweet spices, vanilla, with fine hints of Sichuan pepper, a very discreet hint of tea, and iodine. The palate is fruity, elegant, perfectly balanced, with fine grain, freshness, lovely definition, finesse of texture, suavity, as well as density and energy (yet controlled), a delicate acidic backbone, precise/straight substance, and a fine creaminess. On the palate, this wine expresses notes of vibrant blackberry, juicy blackcurrant, and, more delicately, wild strawberry, combined with touches of ripe wild berries, blueberry, as well as hints of lily, camphor, cardamom, discreet hints of bourbon vanilla, and a subtle toasted note. Good length. The tannins are precise, elegant, and very finely knit. Subtle hints of chocolate and caramelization linger on the finish.

Logo on the cork: JL (Lafitte Liège)

A bicentennial vintage marking the acquisition of the cru by the Cordier family, 2018 comes in a unique screen-printed bottle. The wine does it justice, well-structured, with a palate that is both straight yet coated on the finish. It lacks neither charm nor depth, with a finish that remains vibrant.

The special bottle celebrates 100 years of ownership by the Cordier family, one of the top Bordeaux wine families. This wine shows concentration and intense black fruits. Rich dark chocolate and a luscious texture are allied to the firm base of tannins. The wine is set for aging. Drink from 2027.