Domaine Profile

Château Talbot takes its name from an ancient British soldier, Connetable Talbot. In 1453, Talbot was killed during the battle in the fight at Castillon and the estate was named in his honor. Jumping ahead a few hundred years, Chateau Talbot remained in the hands of the d’Aux-Lally family until 1917, when the Cordier family bought the property.

The Cordier family were well known in Bordeaux as a negociant and for decades, they were responsible for distributing 100% of the wine from Château Talbot. That is no longer the case as the wines are now sold openly on the Place de Bordeaux to a wide variety of negociants.

The Vine Of the vineyard area, 102 hectares are planted to red varieties, mostly Cabernet Sauvignon (66%), followed by Merlot (26%), Cabernet Franc (5%) and Petit Verdot (3%); there are also 5 hectares of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon.

The soils underfoot are, as is typical here, ancient quaternary gravels offering excellent drainage. Château Talbot is planted on a terroir of fine Günzian gravel on a core of fossil-rich limestone, which form draining hilltops.

In the chai the fruit goes over a sorting table before undertaking a unique journey, through a tunnel ventilated with warm air, the effect being to dry the fruit of any moisture. It is then fermented according to plot of origin, using wooden vats or stainless steel, with temperature control. The oak used for the élevage comes for eight different coopers, with 50-60% new wood each year for the grand vin which is bottled as Château Talbot.

The wines destined for the second wine, Connétable Talbot. It sees a lower percentage of oak than the grand vin.