CHÂTEAU TALBOT

The 2017 Talbot offers blackberry, bilberry, pencil shaving and gravelly scents on the nose. Nicely defined it misses a little intensity compared to its peers. The palate is medium-bodied with slightly chalky tannins. I admire the freshness of this Talbot, although the tarry finish just feels a little short and leaves you wanting for more. Hopefully it will put on more weight with bottle age. Drinking range: 2023 - 2040 Rating: 89 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Feb 2020)

The 2017 Talbot was picked from 18 to 4 October using manual and optical sorting, matured in 50% new oak. It has a relatively light but well-defined, floral bouquet, pressed flower filtering through that blackberry and boysenberry scents, a little clove and bay leaf lending complexity as it opens in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with fine but firm tannin that frame the slightly savory black fruit, just a little earthiness developing towards the finish. It is a classic Talbot really, exactly what you would expect for the vintage. Drinking range: 2020 - 2036 Rating: 90-92 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (May 2018)

Jean-Michel Laporte (ex Conseillante) has been director at Talbot since spring 2018. Deep crimson. Fragrant with both berry and leaf of cassis. Chalky texture but still fresh and just enough fruit to give a lively finish. Could do with a little more flesh in the middle but it is nicely scented. Drinking range: 2023 - 2029 Rating: 16 Julia Harding MW, www.JancisRobinson.com (Apr 2018)

Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, the 2017 Talbot is a little closed on the nose with subtle plums and blackberries notes plus hints of underbrush, black olives and wood smoke. Medium-bodied with a firm frame of chewy tannins, it has lovely freshness and a savory finish. Rating: 87-89 Lisa Perrotti-Brown, RobertParker.com (Apr 2018)

Talbot has produced an elegant, fresh and carefully structured 2017. This has plenty of finesse and rich black fruit flavours with some floral notes and cedar. It shows great St-Julien balance, but again just lacks a little of the impact that has been evident at this property over recent vintages. Drinking range: 2024 - 2038 Rating: 89 Jane Anson, Decanter (Apr 2018)

The 2017 Château Talbot is solid and offers a charming, medium-bodied, nicely concentrated profile. It has classic black and blue fruits, hints of damp earth and tobacco, ripe tannin, and nicely integrated acidity. This is a classic, well-made Saint-Julien. Rating: 86-88 Jeb Dunnuck, www.jebdunnuck.com (Apr 2018)

This is solid and structured with blackberry and currant character. Full-bodied, muscular and dialed-in. Rating: 92-93 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Apr 2018)

Solid, with currant and plum fruit at the core flanked by focused, chalky tannins. Savory and tobacco notes score the finish. A touch austere but shows impressive drive. Rating: 90-93 James Molesworth, The Wine Spectator (Apr 2018)

This has a rather dusty nose, with griddled red cherry fruit aromatics, and little else showing through at present. There is a little matchstick note beating it down as well. The palate has a rather bold, oily texture, fat without too much stuffing, and it feels to me to be a little lacking in character, although it is wrapped up in what is an undeniably attractive belt of velvety and still grippy tannins. This is fresh and peppery, certainly bold and richly structured, but it seems to be missing a bit of concentration and fruit on the palate. It will be interesting to see how this changes going forward, since the appointment of Jean-Michel Laporte, once of Château La Conseillante, as director of the estate in November 2017. I wish him well in this project. Rating: 87-89 Chris Kissack, www.thewinedoctor.com (Apr 2018)