Chateau Talbot 2016

WINE SPECTATOR: "Rock 'em, sock 'em St.-Julien, with mouthcoating ganache and tar notes backed by commensurate cassis, blueberry paste and blackberry reduction flavors. The long finish rumbles through, with buried brambly grip providing the support for the dense fruit and toast to meld. Best from 2025 through 2040. 29,833 cases made. — JM"

JAMES SUCKLING: "This is already a beautiful St.-Julien that’s ripe and elegant with not a jot too much oak or tannin, but a very fresh and lively finish that keeps on going. However, there are some serious reserves in this wine that need time to be released. Already very harmonious, but better from 2021."

DECANTER: "There’s a strong team in place at Talbot, with Jean-Michel Laporte (formerly of La Conseillante) as technical director and Stéphane Derenoncourt as consultant. This has a perfumed elegance on the nose, with spicy blackcurrant aromas. Suave and very concentrated, it shows ample ripe tannins and a discreet oaky structure. Its length should guarantee a good future too."

JEB DUNNUCK: "Brought up in 50% new oak, the 2016 Château Talbot is a winner and certainly over-delivers. Powerful notes of crème de cassis, tobacco leaf, lead pencil, and leafy herbs all give way to a silky, seamless Saint-Julien that has remarkable purity of fruit and building, fine tannins. It’s the texture as well as the purity that set this apart, and readers looking for a great value should purchase a case of this beauty."

FALSTAFF: "Tiefdunkles Rubingranat, opaker Kern, dezente Randaufhellung, feine Pflaumenfrucht, ein Hauch von Nougat, Cassis im Hintergrund. Mittlere Komplexität, feine Brombeerfrucht, integrierte Tannine, etwas Schokolade im Abgang, gutes Reifepotenzial."

WINE ENTHUSIAST: "The smooth texture of this wine is deceptive. Behind its ripe black fruits and acidity, the wine has a strong sense of structure to give shape and potential to the freshness and fruit. The wine will age, not perhaps for the really long term but certainly it is worth waiting until 2025."

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "The 2016 Talbot is medium garnet-purple colored and opens with pretty floral notes of roses and lavender with a core of cassis, blackberry preserves and kirsch plus wafts of cigar box and spearmint. Medium-bodied with a lovely intensity of black and red fruit flavors, it has a ripe, grainy texture and compelling freshness, finishing savory."

THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER: "The smoke, licorice, espresso and ripe dark, spicy fruits all shine with ease here. Round in texture and a touch oaky, the wine leaves you with sweet, dark red fruits, espresso and licorice, with a nice cedar note."

WEINWISSER: "Purpur mit violettem Rand. Blaubeeriges Bouquet mit feinblättrigen Noten, dahinter viel tabakige Würze und Lakritze. Am festen Gaumen mit mürber Textur und feinsandigem Tannin, ein burschikoser Talbot, der Zeit braucht."

JANCIS ROBINSON: "Tasted blind. Deep crimson. Rich and sweet. Pretty fluid and a bit tart on the end. Sweet and opulent. Quite flashy."