2020 Château Talbot, St Julien, Bordeaux
- Red
- Dry
- Full Bodied
- Cabernet Sauvignon (76%),Merlot (21%),Petit Verdot (3%)
Not ready
- Jancis Robinson MW
- 17/20
- Michael Schuster
- 90-91/100
- Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW
- 90-92/100
- James Suckling
- 94-95/100
- Jane Anson MW
- 95/100
- Neal Martin MW
- 92-94/100
- Antonio Galloni
- 92-95/100
- Jeb Dunnuck
- 91-93/100
Product: 20208011853
Description
Cabernet Sauvignon 76%, Merlot 21%, Petit Verdot 3%
The 76% Cabernet Sauvignon is a record for Talbot, up from last year’s record of 69%. From those figures, the direction of travel is clear: more structure, more definition and more power. Some of Talbot’s more loose-limbed charm remains, and it’s to the wine’s advantage. Among the classic graphite and cedar notes are those wonderfully familiar touches of woodland, and a certain breadth. This is a step up from years past; there is now complexity and dimension. Jean-Michel Laporte and his team have made great progress.
Drink 2028-2042
Colour Red
Sweetness Dry
Vintage 2020
Alcohol % 13.5
Maturity Not ready
Grape List Cabernet Sauvignon (76%),Merlot (21%),Petit Verdot (3%)
Body Full Bodied
Producer Château Talbot
Critics reviews
Jancis Robinson MW 17/20
Cask sample taken 2 April. 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Merlot, 3% Petit Verdot. Aged in barrel, 60% new. Dark crimson. Savoury, saline nose. Luscious palate entry with ripe fruit that almost smothers the tannin. A very good effort from Talbot with velvety tannins in profusion and some winning perfume too. This is doing well under ex-Conseillante Jean-Michel Laporte.Drink 2029 - 2046jancis_robinson_mw MW, JancisRobinson.com (April 2021)
Drink 2026 - 2055
Michael Schuster 90-91/100
Dense, fresh black-fruit and gravel impressions to smell; medium-full, fresh to crisp in acidity, very fine in firm tannin, classic, elegant, St-Julien balance; crisply ripe flavor, gently fleshy-cored, defined by a brisk acidity, and with just a touch of austerity, but fine, close-grained, quite complex, and with good length. Very good rather than grande année quality and character, just not the “ease” of, for example, the 2018 or 2019 here. Will certainly need time—a decade at least, I would say.Drink 2030 - 2045Michael Schuster, The World of Fine Wine (May 2021)
Drink 2026 - 2055
Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW 90-92/100
Deep purple-black colored, the 2020 Talbot storms out of the glass with powerful blackcurrants, raspberry leaves and baked plums scents, followed by suggestions of dried Mediterranean herbs, tobacco leaf and graphite. The medium-bodied palate delivers lovely freshness and an approachable chewiness, nicely framing the herb-laced black fruits, finishing savoury.Drink 2024 - 2038Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, Wine Advocate (May 2021)
Drink 2026 - 2055
James Suckling 94-95/100
A tight, focused young red with blackcurrant, lead-pencil and chocolate character. It’s full-bodied and tense with a long, flavourful finish.james_suckling (April 2021)
Drink 2026 - 2055
Jane Anson MW 95/100
This is a great Talbot, a real success for the château. Subtle and deft touches throughout, from the smoked turmeric notes that lace the black fruits to the finessed aromatics that accompany the body of the wine. Balance and freshness, and a saline edge to the finish that is extremely moreish. Three years with Jean-Michel Laporte as director and he is doing great work.Drink from 2026 to 2040jane_anson_mw, Decanter (April 2021)
Drink 2026 - 2055
Neal Martin MW 92-94/100
The 2020 Talbot has a fragrant nose with black cherries, bilberry, wild mint and chalk, quite harmonious and gaining intensity in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with a sweet, almost candied opening, predominantly red berry fruit laced with mint and orange zest, and a liberal sprinkling of black pepper. I admire the way this Talbot builds so that it finishes with a flourish. This may well land at the top of my banded score.Drink from 2026 to 2055Neil Martin, Vinous.com (May 2021)
Drink 2026 - 2055
Antonio Galloni 92-95/100
The 2020 Talbot is a hugely promising wine. It offers up an exotic mélange of inky dark fruit, chocolate, licorice, gravel, lavender and menthol. Brooding in the glass, with broad shoulders and tons of intensity, the 2020 is a Talbot that marries power, breadth and savory intensity with notable stylishness and tons of personality. Impressive.Drink from 2030 to 2045antonio_galloni, Vinous.com (June 2021)
Drink 2026 - 2055
Jeb Dunnuck 91-93/100
The 2020 Château Talbot is a winner and certainly an outstanding wine. Offering lots of blackcurrants, green tobacco, chocolate, and lead pencil notes, it’s a classic Saint-Julien, with medium to full body, velvety tannins, and a rounded, layered texture. It’s ripe, yet certainly plays in the fresher end of the pool and should have 15-20 years of longevity.jeb_dunnuck, jebdunnuck.com (May 2021)
Drink 2026 - 2055
About this wine
Cabernet Sauvignon
The most famous red wine grape in the world and one of the most widely planted.
Find out more
Chateau Talbot
Château Talbot is one of the best-known Bordeaux wine estates to a UK audience, not surprisingly because it takes its name from John Talbot, Earl of Shrewsbury, who in 1453 suffered the ignominy of losing the battle, and with it his life, which allowed Bordeaux and its vineyards to slip back into French control after belonging to the British Crown for over 340 years. In the last century it has been owned by the Cordier family, and the red wine of the estate has long enjoyed a reputation for solid dependability. It is one of the largest estates in the Médoc and its 102 hectare single vineyard is situated inland from the Gironde River and west of the hamlet of St-Julien-Beychevelle.
Find out more
Need help?
Delivery and Quality Guarantee
Registered company 05492886. BB&R Limited, trading as Berry Bros. & Rudd, 3 St James's Street, London, SW1A 1EG. All rights reserved. You must be 18 or over to order. Calls may be recorded.
