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Purple Reign: La Conseillante 1966-2015 (May 2018)

The 1986 La Conseillante is a wine that I have tasted on three occasions. As part of the Chez Bruce vertical in research for the book it failed to shine and in print I described it as curmudgeonly and dowdy. Recent bottles have been a little better, reflecting a rather dull patch for the estate…

Focus on Champagne (Nov 2001)

Deep smoky, leesy aromas of apple, toffee, clove and nuts, lifted by a lemony nuance. A medium-bodied wine with plenty of dosage; sweet flavors of apple and mirabelle retain good freshness of fruit for ’89. Frothy, smooth and essentially gentle, but with decent backbone and grip. Firm on the finish.

2015 Bordeaux: Every Bottle Tells a Story… (Feb 2018)

The 2015 Talbot is endowed with serious power and density, much of which it appears to have acquired during aging. Dark plum, lavender, new leather, spice and grilled herbs run through this decidedly potent Saint-Julien. Readers will have to give the 2015 at least a few years to shed some of its formidable tannins. In…

Finally: Bordeaux 2015 In Bottle (Jul 2019)

The 2015 Talbot shows much better now than just a year ago. Here it has a much more intense bouquet than Gruaud Larose and Lagrange. Upfront blackberry and bilberry scents, cedar and subtle mint aromas lend complexity with time in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with grippy tannin on the entry, a fine bead…

Southwold: 2016 Bordeaux Blind (Aug 2020)

The 2016 Talbot has an airy, well-defined bouquet of blackberry, cedar and light minty aromas, perhaps more Pauillac than Saint-Julien. The medium-bodied palate delivers gritty tannins, a fine bead of acidity and a graphite-infused finish. This is very fine for Talbot, a Saint-Julien hewn in a typically classic style. Tasted blind at the Southwold tasting.

2016 Bordeaux…It’s All In The Bottle (Jan 2019)

The 2016 Talbot is aromatically quite expressive, but less available on the palate, where it is quite closed down. Time in the glass brings out a host of sweet tobacco, smoke, leather, cedar, mint, licorice and red-toned fruit. In two tastings, Talbot gave the impression it is going to need at least a few years…