| 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 2023 grand vin is 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot and is being matured in 75% new oak. The Cabernet Franc was all relegated to the 2nd label (as it has been since 2015). The yield was 48 hl/ha. Emeline told us that the Cabernets were tight and serious and the Merlots ripe and exuberant. She sees it as better version of the 2015 vintage
Aromas of cassis, cigar wrapper, pencil shavings and violets introduce the 2023 Grand-Puy-Lacoste, a medium to full-bodied, fleshy and supple wine that's seamless and sensual, with good depth at the core, beautifully integrated tannins and a lively, charming profile. It's a blend of 77% Cabernet Sauvignon and 23% Merlot that was picked between September 11-28.
The 2023 Grand Puy Lacoste was picked September 11 to 28 at 48hL/ha and matured in 75% new oak. It has a classic "GPL" bouquet with blackberry, pencil box and light marine scents, obviously not as powerful as the previous vintage, yet in typical style, beautifully defined and focused. Just a touch of cracked black pepper surfaces with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with gentle but insistent grip, just a light bitter edge lending tension and nerve. I perceive good depth here, but this is not a powerhouse of a Pauillac (is GPL ever?). It fans out toward the finish whilst maintaining control. There’s an impressive linearity to this wine, and thus I suspect it will require less bottle-age compared to recent vintages.
A brilliant effort, the 2023 Grand Puy Lacoste has such a sense of place and style. Understated but harmonious, it will greatly please those who follow these wines. The nose is airy and layered, showing dewy blackcurrant, forest fruit and higher toned cherry blossom. The palate is chiselled thanks to chalky, persistent tannins and an intense but compact core of black and red fruits. Hints of cigar leaf and a real salinity thanks to refreshing acidity make this a lipsmacking, moreish wine. There is a bite of amaro on the back end, only adding to the delicious layers in this wine. Effortlessly stylish.
Beautiful purity and freshness to the blackcurrants and blackberries with subtle notes of cedar and graphite. Medium- to full-bodied. So polished and silky, almost weightless. It’s very long. 77% cabernet sauvignon and 23% merlot.
Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2023 Grand-Puy-Lacoste slowly emerges with restrained notes of crushed black and red currants, fresh blackberries, and raspberry leaves plus suggestions of lilacs and underbrush with a waft of wild thyme. The light to medium-bodied palate is soft and lively, with just enough mid-palate intensity and an herbal lift on the finish. The blend is 77% Cabernet Sauvignon and 23% Merlot.
We are in classic Grand Puy Lacoste territory here, great balance, good freshness, Pauillac typicity, less concentration than 2022, showing instead bright cassis and blackberry fruits, salted cracker edge, liquorice, graphite, spiced cocoa beans, and flashes of fresher redcurrants on the close of play. Great quality, and you can see the fine ageing potential stretching ahead. 75% new oak, rest one year old, around 60% of production in this 1st wine (this is similar each year, as here the vineyard footprint has not changed since 1855). Harvest September 11 to 28.
The 2023 Grand-Puy-Lacoste is powerful, reticent and shy, revealing notes of black cherry, gravel, scorched earth and licorice. It’s rich, ample and quite potent, marked by an intriguing mix of super-ripe Merlots and later-picked Cabernet. All of this fruit was picked before the September rain, so the tannins are a touch aggressive. Time in bottle should help this come together.
77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot. 48 hl/ha. Cask sample.
Relatively subdued but upright, firm and structured. Clear-cut and classic in form. Shouldn’t disappoint GPL fans. (JL) 13.2%
Drink 2032 – 2045
