| Region | |
|---|---|
| Subregion | France > Bordeaux > Left Bank > Pauillac |
| Colour | Red |
| Type | Still |
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. This is a a very popular Chateau at Farr Vintners - both with our customers and staff.
The 2019 Grand-Puy-Lacoste exhibits notions of minty cassis, plums, loamy soil, burning embers and cigar wrapper, followed by a medium to full-bodied, rich and velvety palate that’s deep and concentrated, its generous core of lively fruit concealing an elegantly muscular chassis of ripe, powdery tannin. Consisting of fully 83% Cabernet Sauvignon, this is another true classic from the Borie family. Drink Date 2027 - 2065
The 2019 is a blend of 83% Cabernet Sauvignon and 17% Merlot, which is higher in Cabernet than normal but is exactly the same as the superb 2010 vintage. Bright purple colour. Highly refined and aromatic on the nose, with layers of dark cherry blossom and violet together with blackcurrant, savoury spice, cedar and a light smokiness. The palate is wonderfully in sync, harmonious and vibrant black fruits together with subtle and perfectly judged spices from oak. The tannins are plentiful but fine, etched into the fruit to add savour and structure. Such is the balance that it is easy to underestimate the intensity here. Weightless yet expansive, this highly refined wine is unerring on the finish. A superb Grand Puy Lacoste, true to both the house style and the vintage. Worthy of a place in any cellar.
This is a very polished young wine with lemon-rind, blackcurrant, cedar and lavender character. It’s full, yet so refined and sophisticated, with floral undertones to the pretty fruit. The tannins are intense and long. Give this at least five or six years to soften. Try after 2025.
The 2019 Grand-Puy-Lacoste has a well-defined bouquet with cedar and graphite infused black fruit, hints of pencil shavings, controlled and refined. The palate is medium-bodied with filigree tannins, taut and fresh with a pixelated and mineral-driven finish, lingering long in the mouth. What a heavenly 2019 Pauillac. Tasted blind at the Southwold annual tasting. Drink 2026-2060.
A blend of 83% Cabernet Sauvignon and 17% Merlot, the 2019 Grand-Puy-Lacoste is deep garnet-purple in color. It offers up fragrant notes of lilacs, licorice, and dark chocolate over a core of blackcurrant jelly and blackberry pie. The medium to full-bodied palate is an exercise in elegance, with lovely freshness and fine-grained tannins, finishing long and perfumed.
Inky and glass-staining damson colour, with enjoyable aromatics, slow building power that is tempered and softened by waves of violet and peony. Knitted down, muscular tannins build a wall around the black fruits. This is concentrated, signature Pauillac just as it was En Primeur, majoring on pencil lead, cloves, liquorice and cocoa bean. 41hl/h yield, 75% new oak.
Tasted blind. Perfumed, flattering nose, with a sweet, gentle palate. Easy to like, even if it’s not the most complex wine. Lots of tannin on the end. Very sweet. 14.5%
Drink 2030– 2048
83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot.
Black core, dark cherry rim. Attractively smoky and dusty on the nose. Extremely firm and dense tannins, really chewy. The black fruit is there at the heart but a lot of patience needed here. Big, chewy, honest. (JH) 14.5%
Drink 2030 – 2045
The excellent 2018 was Xavier's 40th vintage here. We expect the 2019 to be another success. The 2019 is a blend of 83% Cabernet Sauvignon and 17% Merlot, which is higher in Cabernet than normal but is exactly the same as the superb 2010 vintage. The yield is slightly lower than last year at 41hl/ha. The wine will be aged in 75% new French oak for 18 months. Vibrant purple in the glass. Very aromatic at this early stage, with wild flowers, fresh blackcurrant and even blood orrange on the nose. The spice of oak is subtle and savoury, complementing this complex fruit. The palate is glossy and layered, with fine but grippy tannins amply framing a dense and powerful core of black fruit. Despite this power and ripeness, the sensation is still one of freshness with the peppery, floral accents and fresh acidity at the core. Superb depth and drive through to a long and refined finish. An excellent Grand Puy Lacoste.
83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot. Barrel sample.
Deep colour. A refined classic. Fragrant, lifted dark-fruit nose with blackcurrant notes to the fore. Super palate, the tannins plentiful and firm but offering a velvety texture at the same time. Lots of freshness, even a saline edge. Builds to a long, dry, mouth-cleansing finish. (JL)
Drink 2030 – 2045
The 2019 Grand Puy Lacoste, as usual, requires plenty of aeration in the glass. Then boom! You get that gorgeous, classic Pauillac raspberry and blackberry fruit infused with cedar and pencil box scents. The harmonious, poised palate has wonderful focus, very fine tannins and a silky-smooth texture. As I remarked in my previous note, it’s very pliant and persistent, with a graphite-tinged finish. A glorious Grand Puy Lacoste that will need time to assimilate the oak – but hey, GPL lovers know the rules. Drink 2025-2060.
The 2019 Grand Puy Lacoste is deep purple in colour. Initially the bouquet is tight and so I left my sample for 15-20 minutes to open. It rewards patience with a beguiling mélange of pure blackberry, raspberry, crushed violet and pencil shavings, very focused and mineral-driven. The palate is medium-bodied with finely chiseled tannins. Compared to the robust, tannic GPL's of old, this is much more lithe and approachable, yet it still bears the DNA of this Pauillac estate. It might not possess the flair of other 2019 Left Banks, but that it is not what I seek from this estate. Classy and full of breeding - quintessential Pauillac. Drink 2025-2060.
A firm, silky red with intense, chewy tannins, showing structure, beauty and intensity. Full-bodied, tight and chewy. Racy and focused GPL. Shows a more refined structure than the 2018, but serious.
A blend of 83% Cabernet Sauvignon and 17% Merlot, the 2019 Grand-Puy-Lacoste is deep garnet-purple in color. It gives subtle, slowly emerging scents of juicy blackcurrants, redcurrant jelly, and ripe plums, plus suggestions of cinnamon stick, chocolate box, camphor, and fallen leaves. Medium-bodied, the palate is firm and grainy with lovely tension cutting through the intense black and red fruit flavors, finishing on a lingering fragrant earth note.
Lovely depth of colour, a big difference between the 1st and 2nd wine in this vintage, this just screams Pauillac with its pencil lead, charcoal and cassis notes. Glass-staining colour, extremely silky, with liquorice and chocolate adding layers without taking away from the purity of expression. Fine tannic hold, tons of character and clear longevity - this is a brilliant wine, easily equal to the 2018 and approaching the 2016. Drinking Window 2027 - 2046
