Château Grand Puy Lacoste, 5ème Cru Classé, Pauillac, 2023
Xavier and Emeline Borie have made a glorious range of 2023s. The fragrant GPL 2023 emerges from the glass with suggestions of violet, iris, bergamot, pencil shavings and creme de mûre. Cool, composed fruit flows over the palate; juicy and textural, but so well pixilated and defined. There's a real sense of freshness and verve and focussed energy to the pure bramble fruit. As one would expect, the tannins are impeccably judged with lots of rock salt and blackcurrant detail. A supremely elegant and refined GPL. Bravo! 77% Cabernet Sauvignon and 23% Merlot.
critic reviews
The 2023 Grand Puy Lacoste has an understated bouquet that is beautifully defined, opening with blackberry, briar, cedar and light pencil box aromas. The palate is medium-bodied with a sapid entry, fine grip, quite linear and correct in style, in keeping with the GPL style. Fine grip on the finish with a tad more length than I noticed from barrel, this is a superb Pauillac that will require three or four years in bottle.
Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2023 Grand-Puy-Lacoste slowly emerges with restrained notes of crushed black and red currants, fresh blackberries, and raspberry leaves plus suggestions of lilacs and underbrush with a waft of wild thyme. The light to medium-bodied palate is soft and lively, with just enough mid-palate intensity and an herbal lift on the finish. The blend is 77% Cabernet Sauvignon and 23% Merlot.
We are in classic Grand Puy Lacoste territory here, great balance, good freshness, Pauillac typicity, less concentration than 2022, showing instead bright cassis and blackberry fruits, salted cracker edge, liquorice, graphite, spiced cocoa beans, and flashes of fresher redcurrants on the close of play. Great quality, and you can see the fine ageing potential stretching ahead. 75% new oak, rest one year old, around 60% of production in this 1st wine (this is similar each year, as here the vineyard footprint has not changed since 1855). Harvest September 11 to 28.
Aromas of cassis, cigar wrapper, pencil shavings and violets introduce the 2023 Grand-Puy-Lacoste, a medium to full-bodied, fleshy and supple wine that's seamless and sensual, with good depth at the core, beautifully integrated tannins and a lively, charming profile. It's a blend of 77% Cabernet Sauvignon and 23% Merlot that was picked between September 11-28.