Saint Julien Protected Designation of Origin, and Fourth Great Classed Growth.
The wines of Chateau Talbot
The Cordier Family has owned Chateau Talbot since the early 20th century. It's a Saint Julien Fourth Great Classed Growth (Bordeaux left bank). The Talbot estate's vineyard covers a 107-hectare single plot made of a fine Günzian gravel terroir on a core of fossil-rich limestone. Chateau Talbot's vineyard is divided into two parts that are both grown according to the sustainable winegrowing principles: red grape varieties (102 hectares) and a very small area (5 hectares) where white grape varieties are used to produce a white wine of Bordeaux designation.
Two blended red Bordeaux wines are produced in Chateau Talbot. They are made from 3 grape varieties that are characteristic of the Bordeaux region: Cabernet Sauvignon (67% of the vineyard), Merlot (28%), and Petit Verdot (5%). Talbot's Great Wine is a medium-bodied, supple and balanced wine, which displays delicate cherry and blackcurrant flavours. It’s rarely powerful, but it can develop a great ageing potential (10 to 25 years in the cellar, and more). Chateau Talbot's second red wine, "Connetable de Talbot" displays a lighter personality, but it can be kept in the cellar for up to 10 years in its best years. The estate also produces a white wine cuvee called "Caillou Blanc de Talbot" (in the Bordeaux designation, as the grape varieties - Sauvignon Blanc 80% and Semillon 20% - used to make this wine are not allowed in the Saint Julien designation). “Caillou Blanc” is a perfectly successful wine, it displays a crisp and fragrant style, but it should be enjoyed in its youth (2 to 4 years).