2013 Grand Puy Ducasse
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Tasting notes
62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 38% Merlot. Vineyard restructuring went on. The château began implementing an environmental management system. A micro-winemaking space was created in the barrel storehouse, with its own temperature control. Hubert de Boüard became consultant oenologist. Light healthy crimson. Open cassis on the nose and then pretty stringy. Not much pleasure to be had here! (JR)
Critic scores
Average Score
Richard Hemming MW, jancisrobinson.com
Julia Harding MW, jancisrobinson.com
More reviews and scores
The 2013 Grand Puy-Ducasse has a tertiary, masculine, damp tobacco-scented bouquet that does not really take off and feels rather static. The palate is medium-bodied, a little green on the entry, though there is acceptable weight here. It just feels foursquare and truncated on the finish. Drink over the next 6-8 years.
Mid cherry red. Savoury aroma with graphite and wood spice. Pretty hard on the palate, needs flesh but I am not sure it is going to get any more now. (JH)
Sweet, spicy oak that rather overwhelms the fruit. Abrasive tannins too. Rather too worked and full-on. (RH)
About the producer
The 40 hectares of this Pauillac Fifth Growth are spread across three sites, pieced together in the 18th century by Pierre Ducasse. Today owned by France’s Crédit Agricole bank, they have some very fine vineyard land, with their northernmost plot neighbouring Mouton and Lafite.