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Viinin Kuvailu
The Story
Undeniably, Talbot is one of the most famous Médoc wines. This fine reputation is no doubt due to a mysterious combination of factors, such as the size of its vineyard, nearly one hundred hectares, and the regularity of its wine. Nearly a century in the same family, the name Talbot is concise and hard-hitting, easy to pronounce in all languages and a part of our history… However, the first thing that makes Talbot popular is the wonderful nature of its wine.
‘For many, Talbot embodies the ideal Saint Julien, a generous bouquet, extremely stable and dependable during aging,’ emphasize Bettane and Desseauve in their Guide to French Wines.
It’s true. A champion of longevity, even when young Talbot is pleasant and rounded, ever distinguished by silky, mild and very civilized tannins. Talbot possesses an extraverted nature. It’s never withdrawn into itself, and has the courtesy of being in a good mood every day. It’s a racy wine, with complex marks of Havana and licorice, classically delicious without ever the slightest hint of austerity.
Legend relates that the name of this imposing estate originates with Connétable Talbot, a famous English warrior, defeated at the battle of Castillon 1453. Talbot is one of the Medoc’s oldest estates, its glory never tainted. Through the years it has been fortunate enough to remain in good hands. The owners are Nancy Bignon- Cordier and her family. They are the fourth generation of Cordiers to manage this Saint-Julien fourth classified growth.
Wine Information
The approaching end of the year motivates us to make an assessment of the 2011 vintage and to refine our impressions of our newborn infant.
At the beginning of December the duality of our Médoc terroir joined forces and made itself felt once again - on the one hand, the beneficial rain and, on the other, the South West wind that settled back over our peninsula.
Both are essential for the health of our vines and, in reality, they are the elements that reunite and at the same time create the link between the dune forests and the vineyards along the estuary.
We finished the year with an important deficiency in rainfall (approximately 500 mm) and we predict a hugely rainy winter to reconstitute the water table.
January: 26 mm
February: 50 mm
March: 36 mm
April: 11 mm
May: 26 mm
June: 32 mm
July: 59 mm
August: 72 mm
September: 42 mm
October: 41 mm
November: 24 mm
December: 50 mm (up until 20th December)
It is noteworthy that July and August were the two most “generous” months!
The vintage drew to a close on 28th September with fully mature, ripe Cabernet Sauvignons, planted on the plateau. Overall yields were limited by the singular climatic conditions that we experienced this year; spring drought, which seriously stressed the vines during the very precocious flowering, followed by a brief heat wave that in some places caused “grillure”, (literally grilling or scorching of the plant). On 26th June the temperature reached 40°C!
The wines are now lodged in new oak barrels proudly furnishing our new cellars.
The blending is envisaged during January, and without anticipating the advice of our oenologists, things seem to us to be clear. The exceptional grand terroir lords it over the less noble parcels. The very extraordinary climate experienced during 2011 underlined the essential mastery of hydric conditions, which is the final strength of the great viticultural soils.
Vintage Dates:
7th, 8th and 9th September: Vintaged the grapes from the young Merlots plants and initiated the trial of the new system of reception of the vintage, which automatically turns over the pallox (small sized box pallets).
12th, 13th, 14th, 15th and 16th: The great Merlots are picked and the young plants of Cabernet Sauvignon are harvested.
20th, 21st, 22nd and 23rd: The majority of the Cabernet Sauvignons are picked and the pickers moved around the vineyards of the plateau of Talbot.
26th, 27th and 28th: The very heart of the Cabernet Sauvignons, situated on the plateau, is picked.
Christian Hostein
Vuosikerta 2011
The 2011 vintage is not easy to handle.
Smith Haut Lafitte not only makes great white and red wine from Bordeaux in Pessac Léognan, they are also at the cutting edge of technology. They were one of the first Bordeaux wine producers to begin using optical sorting, which came in handy with the difficult 2011 Bordeaux harvest. Fabien Teitgen, long-time general manager, joined us for a long detailed conversation about what happened at Smith Haut Lafitte for the 2011 Bordeaux vintage.
“In my opinion, 2011 is balanced with a low pH and a medium alcohol level. So for those who picked at the right time, their wines will be balanced, with good concentration and good freshness. This vintage is not so easy to handle. »
Château Cos d’Estournel, Saint-Estèphe, began its 2011 Bordeaux harvest on Monday, September 5.
Jean Guillaume Prats told us that 2011 set a modern record for an early start to their harvest at Château Cos d’Estournel. He added: “It was the second earliest harvest on record. To find an earlier date, we had to go back to 1893! » Although the precise date to begin picking was not set in stone, the original plan was not to begin their Bordeaux harvest on September 5. But due to a ferocious storm that swept through the region, the massive 2011 Bordeaux storm hit the northern Médoc, any hope of waiting has gone out the window. “We had initially planned to start around September 9, with the young vines. After the storm, we gave ourselves time over the weekend to assess the situation and make the appropriate decision: wait and see how it will evolve in the coming days depending on the weather. We are “lucky” that this vintage is extremely early. The damage in terms of phenolic maturity of the grapes should be very minor. If it was a later year, like 2008, 2009 or 2010, the effects would be much worse.
" said Prats
The day starts before sunrise
Château Haut Brion and Château La Mission Haut Brion began harvesting their young Merlot vines on August 29. It’s early for the First Growth domain. To give you an idea of when Haut Brion started picking its young Merlot vines in 2010, September 8. In this vintage, the harvest continued until October 9.
Between the two properties of Pessac Léognan, with red and white grapes to pick, they have a busy schedule. Harvesters begin their day working on the grapes for their Bordeaux white wine, often starting their day before sunrise.
Jean-Philippe Delmas explains why they harvest early in the morning: “The goal of picking white grapes early in the morning is to ensure that the fruit stays fresh. This helps the berries retain their unique, fresh flavors. This year, we picked our white grapes between 7 a.m. and noon. The reason is that at this time of the day, the skin is dry. There is nothing left of the dew of the night. »
Château Lafite Rothschild began harvesting Cabernet Sauvignon from their northernmost plots, located not far from Château Cos d’Estournel, on Friday September 2. 2011. This is one of the first harvests recorded for the property. You will read quotes from many Bordeaux wine producers that 2011 Bordeaux, for many châteaux, will be their earliest harvest on record since 1893! However, producers located in certain districts of Bordeaux have brought forward their harvest calendars even earlier than expected.
Due to the enormous deluge and rain in the northern Médoc, centered near the border of Pauillac, Saint-Estèphe, to avoid possible rot problems, many châteaux in this vicinity decided to start picking sooner than they had originally planned. The most notable property is the famous Premier Cru, Château Lafite Rothschild. It is possible that the storm, which dropped half an inch of massive rain in a twenty-minute period, caused flooding in Lafite Rothschild's cellars.
“With our 2011 harvest, we harvested earlier because the cultivation of the vines was earlier than usual, due to the very hot spring. But the ripening weather conditions in summer were cool and cool, so the wine is of a cooler style than a late vintage. The pleasant weather conditions at the end of August and September were very good for phenolic maturity.” Fabien Teitgen from Château Smith Haut Lafitte.
Bordeaux 2011 /The earliest harvest recorded since 1893
