A classic Saint-Julien, the 2008 Talbot shows layers of black fruit, plum, and spice with hints of herbs, forest floor, and licorice. Silky tannins and a full body give this wine both charm and structure, drinking beautifully now with potential to age further.

The Wine Advocate | RP 90
Published: May 2, 2011
Drink: 2011-2016

The evolved, soft, silky 2008 Talbot is unquestionably a sleeper of the vintage, offering a dark plum/garnet color, loads of roasted herb, berry, black cherry, plum and Asian spice aromas intermixed with an attractive forest floor-like note. Already drinking well, this medium-bodied St.-Julien should continue to evolve for 10-15+ years.

Decanter | D 90
Published: Dec 14, 2017
Drink: 2018-2028

Deep in colour, just hitting that 10-year mark. It could begin to be drunk now, but equally it could also stay teetering on the brink for a few more years before opening. It has layers of black fruit and good complexity, with a clear deepening of texture and structure compared to some of the earlier vintages. The 2008 vintage needed to be carefully handled from a technical point of view, something that they have achieved here. I would put Château Talbot alongside Château Branaire-Ducru as two examples of classical St-Julien wine, still old school enough to value well-integrated tannins and a sense of freshness. Not always the best choice to impress, but they are to be enjoyed with company over food.
Closure: Cork
Alcohol: 13.00%
Body: Full
Oak: Oaked
Grapes: 75% Cabernet Sauvignon 22% Merlot 3% Petit Verdot

Chateau-talbot.com

It's true, Talbot is a champion of longevity, which doesn't prevent it, even in its earliest youth, from being pleasant and rounded, always marked by silky and suave tannins, very civilized.
Talbot has an extroverted nature; it is never withdrawn into itself.
It is a distinguished wine, with its complex notes of Havana and licorice, deliciously classic without ever the slightest austerity.

Owner: Family Bignon-Cordier 
Appellation: Saint-Julien, 4th Classified Growth in 1855 
Area of vines: 102 ha 
Terroir: Medoc's gravelly soil 
Planting density: 7 700 plants/ha 
Age of vines: 50 years 
Pruning: Medoc double guyot 
Farming: Traditional plowing 4 ways 
Harvests: Manual 
Sorting: Successive (manual and optical/floating sorting) 
Winemaking: In oak vats 
Blend: 75 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 22 % Merlot, 3 % Petit Verdot 
Degree: 13% vol 
Yield: 42 hl/ha 
Harvests: From September 24th to 15th October 
Ageing: 15 months in oak barrels (50% new) 
Bottling: From May 6th to 29th 2013