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Tuesday, August 4, 2020

Château Talbot St Julien Bordeaux 2011

Château Talbot St Julien Bordeaux 2011

Continuing the theme of revisiting our trip to St Julien Bordeaux a year ago this week, we opened another label from a producer estate that we saw last year. We toured and did a private tasting at nearby Château Gruaud Larose that used to be part of the Cordier Family holdings. While we didn't do a tasting and tour of Château Talbot we did drive over to see the estate that sits adjacent to Gruaud Larose.

We've had the pleasure of meeting fourth generation Philippine Bignon of the Cordier family, during her visits to Chicago as part of the UGCB North American release tour. The family have been proprietors of Château Talbot for four generations dating back to the turn of the last century.

Patriarch and her Great-great-grandfather Désiré Cordier wrote in his memoirs, "to be and to remain the owner of a well respected vineyard, one must be endowed with a real aristocracy that identifies itself with the vineyard and the wine. Everything must be sacrificed for this, to be a grand cru owner, you must in some way be in love with it…”

His son Georges and then his grandson, Jean, succeeded him as the head of the estate. Under their guidance, Talbot became one of the most famous growths in the Bordeaux region.

Following the death of Jean Cordier, his daughters Lorraine and Nancy, took over Talbot, building upon the knowledge and experience of past generations, they worked together to carry on the traditions and commitment to excellence to do justice to the Grand Cru.

Today Nancy Bignon Cordier, her husband Jean-Paul, their children Philippine, Marguerite and Gustave Bignon carry on the legacy of Talbot; a long history which has always united the destiny of the family to the vineyard.

We've held this label going back almost four decades and still hold vintage releases dating back to 1985, 1986 and 1989.

Tonight, in partial vicarious revisiting our St Julien trip, and to follow on and compare to the St Julien Clos du Marquis we enjoyed the previous evening, we pulled from the cellar this almost ten year vintage release for pleasurable drinking with leftover grilled steak, bbq beef, sweet corn and balsamic vinagrette caprese tomatoes with fresh home grown basil.

Château Talbot St Julien Bordeaux 2011

This estate bottled flagship
Château Talbot is sourced from the vineyards with classic St Julien Medoc gravelly soil and 50 year old vines that surround the Château, and is a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, and 5% Petit Verdot. It was aged in 50% new French oak for fifteen months.

The 2011 vintage followed the legendary vintages of 2009-2010 and therefore was perceived as an off year with warm weather and low rainfall in the spring, one hot weekend in the end of June, followed by a cold summer, rainy August and finally a hot September. As with many lesser rated vintages, especially those adjacent to a top rated vintage, the 2011 could be considered underrated thereby is more affordable and offers good drinking and reasonable ageability for a decade or more. In its ninth year, it is likely as its apex and not likely to improve with any further aging.

Dark garnet colored, light medium bodied, minimal structure with moderate backbone, bright black berry and currant fruits with notes of cassis, cedar, graphite and subtle oak with moderate underlying tannins on the lingering finish.

RM 88 points.



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