Château Grand Puy Lacoste, 5ème Cru Classé, Pauillac, 2019
A blend of 83% Cabernet Sauvignon and 17% Merlot, this is one classy GPL, which we think looks like a modern day, sweeter fruited 1996. There’s such a wonderful bouquet of pure raspberry, sumptuous griotte, meadow flowers and sandalwood. The palate is slightly glossier and more velour in texture than normal - it gives the impression of a more luxuriant GPL, but under that veneer, there is a real seam of classicism: gravelly black fruit and minerals, leafy cassis, interspersed with red cherry and cranberries; it’s very serious and complete, powerful, yet graceful, ripe, but taut, fruity, still deeply mineral. This is a picture of poise and elegance, framed by elaborate tannins, which paint a fine weave of detail on the magnificent finish. We are in no doubt, this is a superb Grand Puy Lacoste that ranks amongst the very best vintages we’ve tasted during Xavier’s career. This is a ‘must-buy’ wine in 2019!
critic reviews
A blend of 83% Cabernet Sauvignon and 17% Merlot, the 2019 Grand-Puy-Lacoste is deep garnet-purple in color. It offers up fragrant notes of lilacs, licorice, and dark chocolate over a core of blackcurrant jelly and blackberry pie. The medium to full-bodied palate is an exercise in elegance, with lovely freshness and fine-grained tannins, finishing long and perfumed.
The 2019 Grand-Puy-Lacoste has a well-defined bouquet with cedar and graphite infused black fruit, hints of pencil shavings, controlled and refined. The palate is medium-bodied with filigree tannins, taut and fresh with a pixelated and mineral-driven finish, lingering long in the mouth. What a heavenly 2019 Pauillac. Tasted blind at the Southwold annual tasting.
The 2019 Grand-Puy-Lacoste exhibits notions of minty cassis, plums, loamy soil, burning embers and cigar wrapper, followed by a medium to full-bodied, rich and velvety palate thats deep and concentrated, its generous core of lively fruit concealing an elegantly muscular chassis of ripe, powdery tannin. Consisting of fully 83% Cabernet Sauvignon, this is another true classic from the Borie family.
Inky and glass-staining damson colour, with enjoyable aromatics, slow building power that is tempered and softened by waves of violet and peony. Knitted down, muscular tannins build a wall around the black fruits. This is concentrated, signature Pauillac just as it was En Primeur, majoring on pencil lead, cloves, liquorice and cocoa bean. 41hl/h yield, 75% new oak.