CHATEAU TALBOT 2005 - Saint-Julien - 4eme Grand Cru Classe - France - Red Wine

Country : France
Region : Bordeaux - Saint Julien
Type : Red
Year : 2005
Volume : 75 cl


WINEMAKER TASTING NOTES : Very representative of the excellent 2005 vintage in the Medoc. The nose reveals a great intensity and complexity, with both floral and fruity notes with hints of violet,
blackcurrant and vanilla. On the palate, the wine shows an incredible structure as well as freshness and elegance. Fruity aromas and fine tannins lead to a beautiful and persistent finish.

ABOUT THE VINTAGE 2015 :The 2005 vintage is, without any doubt, one of the greatest Bordeaux vintages of recent decades. The largely dry weather engendered the development of small and concentrated berries, with hard skins rich in tannin. Thus, there is a potential for plenty of structure in the wines, as well as the ripe substance, flavor and acidity brought by the warm weather. Here are all the ingredients in order to produce wonderful wines with a great longevity.

WINE CRITICS 94 points Decanter
Outer quote mark The colour difference is quite remarkable in comparison to the older vintages in the tasting, and even with nearly 15 years of age we are fully in primary colours with this 2005 - rich, purple-reds, not inky but full of life and intensity right through the body of the wine. On the palate you find touches of caramel and sweet, ripe fruit that's handled expertly. It's more gourmet than any other on display, but still with gorgeous freshness and traces of black pepper spice that give focus to the finish. It has an effortless balance that just makes you so happy to be drinking this wonderful vintage, from an estate that's in no hurry to reveal its riches. (JA) Inner quote mark (12/2018)

93 points James Suckling
Outer quote mark Complex aromas of chocolate, currants, berries and sweet tobacco. Full body with fully integrated tannins that give a silky texture. Lovely tannins, fruit and acid balance. Just opening now. Inner quote mark (7/2013)

93 points Wine Enthusiast
Outer quote mark With its big fruit, and hearty tannins, this is a powerful, ripe wine, having great sweet blackberry flavors, a touch of smoke and a black fruit core. Round and opulent, this is a generous wine already. (RV) Inner quote mark (6/2008)

92 points Vinous
Outer quote mark Deeper in colour than other vintages, it offers much more fruit: blackberry, bilberry and raspberry tinged with cedar and a faint estuarine tang. These aromatics just have more substance than other vintages. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin, a fine bead of acidity. It is not the most complex 2005 Saint-Julien but there is grip and matière, notes of soy and black pepper lining the finish that will benefit from another two or three years in bottle. Very fine. (NM) 92+ Inner quote mark (10/2019)

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Outer quote mark The 2005 Talbot is dense ruby/purple, with moderately intense notes of forest floor, underbrush, and black and red currant fruit. It is slightly herbal, medium-bodied, not terribly complex, but has good sweet fruit, and a decent finish. (RP) Inner quote mark (6/2015).

ABOUT THE WINE : A Quatrième Cru Classé, Ch. Talbot has a reputation for consistency, as one of the most carefully made and reliable of the St Julien Cru Classé Clarets. The best examples are richly aromatic with a bouquet of cedar wood and vanilla-scented cassis fruit, with a palate packed with well-delineated, ripe, black fruits and finely integrated tannins.

ABOUT THE WINERY : This imposing estate owes its name to Connetable Talbot, the English general and governor of the province of Guyenne who was defeated at the famous Battle of Castillon in 1453.
Talbot's vines grow in an ideal location bordering an estuary, on some of the region's most highly prized gravel rises which alone produce great wine. Talbot is one of the oldest estates in the Medoc, and its reputation has been in the hands of experienced managers, and always shown itself to be worthy of its inclusion in the 1855 classification.

Owners of Talbot since the early 20th century, the Cordier family have perpetuation the commitment to quality of their predecessors. At Talbot, wine is very much past, present, and future. Therefore, tradition and technical innovations both count a great deal.

ABOUT SAINT JULIEN APPELATION : An icon of balance and tradition, St. Julien boasts the highest proportion of classed growths in the Médoc. What it lacks in any first growths, it makes up in the rest: five amazing second growth chateaux, two superb third growths and four well-reputed fourth growths. While the actual class rankings set in 1855 (first, second, and so on the fifth) today do not necessarily indicate a score of quality, the classification system is important to understand in the context of Bordeaux history. Today rivalry among the classed chateaux only serves to elevate the appellation overall.

One of its best historically, the estate of Leoville, was the largest in the Médoc in the 18th century, before it was divided into the three second growths known today as Chateau Léoville-Las-Cases, Léoville-Poyferré and Léoville-Barton. Located in the north section, these are stone’s throw from Chateau Latour in Pauillac and share much in common with that well-esteemed estate.

The relatively homogeneous gravelly and rocky top soil on top of clay-limestone subsoil is broken only by a narrow strip of bank on either side of the “jalle,” or stream, that bisects the zone and flows into the Gironde.

St. Julien wines are for those wanting subtlety, balance and consistency in their Bordeaux. Rewarding and persistent, the best among these Bordeaux Blends are full of blueberry, blackberry, cassis, plum, tobacco and licorice. They are intense and complex and finish with fine, velvety tannins.

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TASTING by ANDREAS LARSSON - YEAR 2006 for REFERENCE ONLY