Château Grand Puy Lacoste, 5ème Cru Classé, Pauillac, 2009
There have been so many wonderful wines made during the 44-year tenure of Xavier Borie, it's hard to pick favourites, suffice to say the 2022 is right up there with the very best. Produced from 79% Cabernet Sauvignon and 21% Merlot, this opens with a more fruit driven bouquet with subtle hints of tobacco, cracked earth, floral notes of violets and a hint of liquorice. The core is wonderfully vibrant and full of precision; ample purple fruit intertwined with mineral notes, it feels stylish and unforced with a really classy salinity. A plush, enveloping, contoured palate which is texturally alluring, this GPL caresses the mouth with glorious flavours and so much detail. Striking tannins provide grip, complexity and reverberating length. Emeline explained that 2022 was hotter than 2003, but they had some welcome rain when they needed it. Winemaking was as normal with gentle extractions, just some pump-overs at the beginning before they closed the vats. The cuvaison lasted three weeks, which is more or less normal – they were conscious not to overdo it. The result is one of the most spectacular wines of the Medoc and one of the all-time great GPLs.
critic reviews
Here we are in classic Pauillac territory, still young even at 15 years old, with a ton of tannic grip, slate and pencil lead, cassis and cocoa bean, channeling tension, freshness and bright fruits. A wonderful example of the vintage, needs a few more years than really being in its drinking window, but this is exceptional quality. 70% new oak for ageing.
Medium to deep garnet in color, the 2009 Grand-Puy-Lacoste prances out with exuberant notes of chocolate-covered cherries, blackcurrant pastilles, and licorice, plus wafts of pencil shavings and tobacco leaf. The medium-bodied palate is soft and juicy, drinking deliciously now, finishing on a lingering exotic spice note.
Medium to deep garnet in color, the 2009 Grand-Puy-Lacoste opens with a nose of sweaty leather, damp earth, baked cherries and dried mulberries with touches of fried herbs, black olives and cast iron pan. Medium-bodied, firm and chewy, this is a more elegantly styled 2009 with provocative herbal sparks and a ferrous finish.
The 2009 Grand Puy-Lacoste has a clean and precise bouquet with graphite infused red berry fruit, woodland scents, fern and touches of autumn leaves. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, quite bold and assertive with dried blood and ferrous notes infusing the red fruit towards the persistent finish. You could broach this now although I would prefer to leave another couple of years, when it may well deserve a higher score. Tasted blind at Farr Vintners’ 2009 Bordeaux tasting.