The long and polished 2020 Talbot leads with great fragrance followed by black fruit notes and even a hint of tar. Overall, it is less muscular, but still concentrated, and more refined than the densely paced 2018, conveying a classic St-Julien temperament. Its suaveness makes it surprisingly approachable even now. The energy and refinement of the 2020, like the 2019, make one wonder whether Laporte consciously turned down the volume after the massive 2018.

The 2020 Talbot was corked on the first bottle. The second has a refined and focused bouquet, with more black fruit than its peers. Cedar and light minty notes impart a Pauillac-like personality. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy black fruit, fine delineation, lovely poise and a sorbet-fresh, high-toned finish. This appears to have meliorated since I tasted it just after bottling, hence the higher score. Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting.

The 2020 Talbot exhibits aromas of cassis and plums mingled with hints of clove, violets and toasty new oak. Medium to full-bodied, with a rich core of fruit, powdery tannins and lively acids, it's quite strongly marked by its élevage out of the gates, and it's an open question for me as to whether there's enough depth here to integrate the barrel program and reassert its Saint-Julien identity. On each of the three occasions I tasted it, it left me wanting more.