2015 Grand Puy Lacoste
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Tasting notes
74% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc. 45 hl/ha. I tried two bottles of this vintage as the first bottle didn’t seem quite right but the second was similar. Deep colour. Rather indeterminate nose with a slight herbaceous edge. Tannins edgy and hard with plenty of chew on the finish. A problem of fruit ripeness? 2014 looks the better bet. (JL)
Critic scores
Average Score
James Suckling
Wine Spectator
More reviews and scores
The 2015 Grand-Puy-Lacoste has a conservative, complex yet reserved nose with tobacco- and graphite-tinged black fruit aromas. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins. It is a little drier than some peers though this has held on to its smooth texture. This is just a little meatier on the finish than I recall. I am a massive fan of GPL and though I admire this, I would not include it amongst the greats of recent years. Alas, the bottle at Farr's 10-Year-On a couple of weeks later was corked. Tasted at the 2015 Ten-Year-On tasting at Bordeaux Index.
Juicy but understated, with Pauillac scrape and intensity, appellation signature in a glass - cassis bud, cocoa bean, graphite, bilberry, crushed mint, tobacco, saffron. There is enough weight and definition to the tannins to suggest that it will age well from here, but a good carafe will bring it into its drinking window. A definite standout and one to look out for. 75% new oak for ageing.
About the producer
In 1978 the Borie family took over Grand-Puy-Lacoste and Xavier Borie has been making exceptional wines here ever since. With 58 hectares of vines around the château, this is a wine with real Pauillac style.