| Region | |
|---|---|
| Subregion | France > Bordeaux > Left Bank > Pauillac |
| Colour | Red |
| Type | Still |
Xavier Borie and his daughter Emeline consistently make one of the finest and most classic of all Pauillacs here. It has been owned by the Borie family since 1978. Frequently GPL is a match for the top names of Pauillac but is usually cheaper en primeur. The 60 hectare vineyard is in one contiguous plot that surrounds the château and is planted with 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc. Much of the fruit is used to make the second wine - Lacoste Borie. This is a a very popular château at Farr Vintners - both with our customers and staff.
The 2020 Grand-Puy-Lacoste has a wonderful, "cool" bouquet with refined, graphite-infused black fruit that simply oozes class. The palate is medium-bodied with sapid black fruit and wonderful symmetry, fresh and tensile with a persistent, tobacco-tinged finish that could only come from Pauillac. Wonderful. Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting. 2032 - 2065
The 2020 Grand-Puy-Lacoste is excellent, offering up aromas of cassis and plums mingled with pencil shavings, violets and loamy soil framed by a touch of creamy new oak. Medium to full-bodied, pure and fleshy, with lively acids, powdery tannins and good depth at the core, its supple, charming style belies considerable aging potential. It's a blend of 76% Cabernet Sauvignon and 24% Merlot. 2025 - 2050
Deep purple in the glass, this is a wine with a real sense of place. Graphite, blackcurrant and cedar come through on a focused nose. The palate is chiselled, with al dente tannins giving it bite and chew. The fruit is moreish, dark but tangy thanks to vibrant acidity. This is lip-smacking and delicious, with admirable restraint but power and presence. Excellent, likely worthy of a higher score once mature. Open from 10 years old.
This full-bodied red builds on the palate in a fantastic way with tight, compact tannins that grow and grow on the finish. Plenty of blackcurrant and graphite character and a flavorful finish. Same level as the excellent 2016.
The 2020 Grand-Puy-Lacoste has a deep garnet-purple color. It bounds from the glass with eager-to-please notes of crushed black plums, wild blueberries, and warm cassis, plus touches of violets, licorice, and wild sage. The medium-bodied palate is vibrant with crunchy black fruits and a grainy texture, finishing on a mineral note.
Enjoyable, powerful, concentrated, not the most generous of GPLs but they have captured the essence of Pauillac, and it's hard to resist. Sappy juicy finish, full of cassis, mint leaf and pencil lead along the way with a clear tightness to the tannic frame. A yield of 31hl/ha. 75% new oak for barrel ageing.
Drinking Window 2027 - 2046
The 2020 is a blend of 76% Cabernet Sauvignon and 24% Merlot, with a yield of 31hl/ha that will be aged in 75% new French oak. Yields are down 25% on last year due to few bunches of small berries in the vineyard. Deep ruby in colour. The nose is smoky, fleshy with plummy fruit and vibrant with cherry blossom. The palate is finely etched, with pure cherry fruit and a savoury, cool edge. The tannins add real crunch, coating the mouth but keeping the compact proportions of the wine harmonious. Superb poise through to a long finish.
76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot. Cask sample.
Bright crimson hue. Classic in form and constitution. Firm and stately on the nose with graphite and dark-fruit notes. Juicy and fresh on the palate, the tannins smooth and refined but driving behind. Long, linear and persistent. Should age gracefully. (JL)
Drink 2028 – 2045
(56% CS, 24% M; 31hl/ha; 75% new)
Black-red; a particularly refined and subtle “cassis-Cabernet” nose; medium-full, fresh to crisp in acidity, very fine in gently firm tannin; long, fresh, elegant, even, ripe red fruit in flavor, backed by subtle mineral impressions, long across the palate, refreshing, restrained, and with very fine tannin textures, of modest intensity and with excellent, subtly gravelly red-fruited length. Beautifully understated by comparison with many in this often somewhat “strong” vintage. A complete, restrained, classy Pauillac. 2026–40+.
The 2020 Grand-Puy-Lacoste has a very refined, almost understated bouquet at first, but it opens in glorious fashion to offer precise blackberry and wild strawberry fruit, crushed stone and wild mint, gaining intensity at its own pace. The palate is beautifully balanced with fine-grained tannins, a keen thread of acidity, layers of intense black fruit and quite a spicy, vibrant and certainly persistent finish. This is a brilliant GPL from the Borie family. Drink 2027-2055.
The 2020 Grand-Puy-Lacoste fulfils its promise from barrel. It has a very sophisticated and complex bouquet with black fruit, pencil shavings and light estuarine scents, beautifully defined and focused. The palate has real intensity and concentration, the precision belying a very intense GPL not unlike the 2016 with a persistent graphite-infused finish that is just pure finesse. Magnificent.
Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, the 2020 Grand-Puy-Lacoste offers notes of freshly crushed black and red currants, fresh blackberries and mulberries, plus hints of pencil lead, damp soil and black olives. The medium-bodied palate is delicately styled and refreshing, delivering soft, skillfully managed tannins and just enough freshness to frame the juicy black fruits, finishing savory.
