I confess to having a soft spot for this fourth growth Saint Julien producer having drunk their wine back to the nineteen-seventies. With some trepidation, I purchased a parcel of this wine without guarantees of provenance, but at a relatively low value. Now I have opened my first bottle, I couldn't be happier.
Nineteen-eighty-eight is a somewhat unheralded year for left-bank Bordeaux reds and although I've yet to try one that compares to the greatest wine's of Bordeaux's hyped vintages such as 1982, 1986 and 1990, I'm continually and pleasantly surprised at the drinkability and staying power this vintage produces.
Boasting a saturated, albeit mature, rusty red colour, this wine opens with strong damp earth nuances that are gradually replaced with attractive scents of cedar, cigar box, saddle leather, a compote of underpinning aged red and black berry fruit, typical left-bank herbaceousness and a meaty top note. In the mouth it reveals a mature and similarly complex persona, being fully resolved with fruit, acids and tannins seamlessly integrated and in fine balance. Medium-bodied with an appealing almost creamy texture, the 1988 Talbot finishes with appropriate class and demeanour with a lengthy, ripe and soft conclusion to a admirable drinking experience. 91 points. Drink now - 2015. 12.5% A/V
