Grand Puy Lacoste 2015

The 2015 Grand Puy Lacoste did not perform to the level I expected. That said, it has a wonderful bouquet of vibrant blackberry and raspberry fruit, rose petals and graphite, all very complex and engaging. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-grained tannin. It still has some vanilla-y oak to be assimilated, but it displays a very smooth texture and fine precision toward the finish. A little more showy and modern in style than previous vintages. I would give this at least five years in bottle. Tasted blind at the Southwold 2015

Swathed in spicy and toasty oak aromas, this has a wealth of superbly expressed red and dark berries, flowers and mint. The palate delivers a very assertive and energetic array of dark berries and spiced plums with a fresh, focused, vibrant finish. Superb wine. Try from 2023.

The 2015 Grand-Puy-Lacoste is medium garnet-purple colored with a nose of red and black currants, cedar chest and roses with a touch of dusty earth. The medium-bodied mouth is chewy, with lively fruit and good balance. 2019 - 2032

Tasted blind. Fragrant. Cool and zesty and very well put together. Really quite refined and fresh. Not trying to be a blockbuster but the balance is superb.
Drink 2024-2042

Xavier Borie consistently makes one of the finest and most classic of all Pauillacs here. Frequently GPL is a match for the top names of Pauillac but is usually cheaper en primeur. Much of the fruit is used to make the second wine - Lacoste Borie. A very popular Chateau at Farr Vintners. The 2015 GPL is made from 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc. 62% grand vin, 38% Lacoste Borie. Since 2010 they have used 75% new oak here. Deep purple colour, with a classic, precise nose of blackcurrant, mint, cedar and cigar box. The palate is very elegant, with pure cassis layered by notes of incense, camphor and clove. The tannins are ripe and clearly defined, providing a balancing structure to the fruit profile. This wine is understated elegance defined, with each element finding an effortless balance, such is the precision. The finish is long, subtly layered and perfectly poised. Very, very good work that will surely be one of the best value wines of the vintage.

The fruit on the nose is ripe a rich mix of black fruits the palate supple velvety with fine ripe tannins. Silky and smooth the black fruits are backed by dark chocolate and although rich and ripe at the back the finish is lighter fragrant with style and elegance.

It’s time GPL were known as a great wine per se, rather than a great value for money claret (although it’s certainly that, too). This is the latest in a run of balanced, refined, “classic” Pauillacs with serious, scented oak complemented by cassis and tobacco notes, fine-grained tannins and bright acidity. Drink: 2022-35

This is a stern and commanding Grand-Puy-Lacoste with a serious, firm, statesmanlike nose and a taut, chassis, rippling with muscles and brawn. There is so much to admire before you even take a sip and when you do the power and poise ratio is sublime. Like its stablemate, Haut-Batailley, this is an epically balanced wine and while there is a more decadent nose here with more obvious oak and some wilder, exotic nuances yearning to be set free, this is a benchmark Grand-Puy-Lacoste and it is built to live forever. The tannins are regal and firm and the finish is immense but at no stage does it break out of its Pauillac straightjacket nor does it lapse into excess in any department. Utterly mesmerising this estate is kicking goals year after year and this is undoubtedly one of the top wines of the vintage.