Château Talbot

The 110 hectare estate of Fourth Growth Château Talbot lies on the banks of the Gironde Estuary, in the heart of St-Julien. The single vineyard lies across alluvial gravel hilltops created by the Dordogne River and it is this fine soil which imparts its classic structure and luxurious fruit. Its position next to Super Seconds Léoville-Barton and Ducru-Beaucaillou certainly helps its reputation, but it is its management team, led by Jean-Michel Laporte, which sees it going from strength to strength and commanding increasingly higher prices. It has been in the Cordier family for over a century, with Nancy Bignon Cordier overseeing the estate and Stéphane Derenoncourt and Jacques Boissenot onhand to advise. At 107 hectares, Château Talbot is one of the biggest estates in the appellation, which is just 900 hectares in total. The winemaking here is precise; the grapes are hand harvested and travel in a tunnel infused with warm air to dry them thoroughly before the parcel by parcel vinification process begins. The huge modern cellar, finished in 2012, is temperature controlled and architecturally striking, with a mirror finish on its walls concealing its state-of-the-art technology.