Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
This is juicy and incisive, with expressive dark fruit and fine-grained, almost grainy tannins. A savory quality in the long finish. Persistent and cohesive.
Barrel Sample: 95-96 -
Vinous
The 2025 Talbot contains the highest ever Petit Verdot (9%) this year due to more generous yields. Picked from September 5 to 22, a little quicker than expected as Laporte spotted some botrytis, at 28 hl/ha, this is matured in 60% new oak barrels. It has a generous bouquet, a mixture of red and black fruit intermixed with mocha and light undergrowth scents, typical Talbot. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, well judged acidity, satisfying weight and density on the mid-palate that had been lacking in vintages past. A little more grip on the grainy-textured finish, lightly spiced with a hint of powdered chocolate, if you seek a classic Saint-Julien and, it must be said, often at a reasonable price, then look no further. –Neal Martin
Barrel Sample: 93-95 -
Jeb Dunnuck
Ruby-hued, the 2025 Château Talbot is a beautiful Saint-Julien based on 74% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot, and 9% Petit Verdot that's being raised 16 months in 60% new French oak. Its pretty nose of spicy red and black fruits, dried flowers, and graphite is followed by a medium-bodied Talbot with soft tannins, wonderful balance, and a great finish. I love its overall balance, and it's an impeccably made, elegant effort that has tons to love.
Barrel Sample: 92-94+ -
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Bright and harmonious, the 2025 Talbot wafts from the glass with aromas of mulberries, violet, cassis, dark cherries and spice, framed by well-integrated oak. Medium- to full-bodied, it’s concentrated and dense, built around a massive core of fruit framed by structured, youthful tannins and concludes with a somewhat firm, gently bitter finish. It's a blend of 74% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot and 9% Petit Verdot.
Barrel Sample: 91-93
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
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.