Xavier Borie maakt jaarlijks één van de fijnste wijnen in Pauillac: Grand Puy Lacoste. De 2016 is 79% Cabernet Sauvignon en 21% Merlot, geplukt tussen 28 september en 13 oktober. 60% van de productie gaat naar de Grand Vin, en de rest naar Lacoste Borie. Diepdonker robijnrood kleurt de schitterende neus van kruidig zwart fruit, ceder en tabak. We herkennen lagen van rijpe cassis en zwarte kersen verpakt in heerlijke licht getoaste eiktoetsen. Majestueuze tannines bouwen de structuur op die, en milieu de bouche, de fluwelen textuur in al zijn raffinement doet stralen. De heerlijke tonaliteiten van zwart fruit worden op flatterende wijze aangevuld door herinneringen aan kaneel, ceder en kruiden tot in de lange, harmonieuze finale. Een prachtige Pauillac van het hoogste niveau.
IN DE PERS
95 Neal Martin – vinous.com (Januari 2019)
The 2016 Grand-Puy-Lacoste has a superb, vibrant, tobacco-infused bouquet that soars from the glass; it is extremely well defined and classic, just as you expect from this Pauillac. The medium-bodied palate displays succulent tannin that hides the backbone supporting this wine. It is more approachable than the Grand Puy Lacoste of a decade ago, yet retains the essence of its terroir. This is one of the most elegant GPLs of recent years. Drink 2023-2055.
95-97 Neal Martin – The Wine Advocate Issue #230 - robertparker.com (April 2017)
The 2016 Grand-Puy-Lacoste is a blend of 79% Cabernet Sauvignon and 21% Merlot that matured in 75% new oak. It has 13.3% alcohol this year. It has an extraordinarily pure bouquet with blackberry, briary, touches of pencil shaving and cedar aromas--quintessential Grand-Puy-Lacoste, basically. The palate is medium-bodied with very fine tannin. Gone are the days when this Pauillac was as hard as nails for the first decade. The tannins are nowadays much finer and the acidity lends this tension and plenty of freshness. There is an effortless quality to this Pauillac with wonderful length and such finesse on the finish that you immediately want to go back and re-taste it. Like so many others, this improved with aeration, gaining ever more harmony and precision. What a brilliant wine. It is classic Pauillac to its core. Drink: 2024-2050.
95+ Antonio Galloni – vinous.com (Januari 2019)
The 2016 Grand-Puy-Lacoste is a powerful, exciting wine. That is the good news. But readers are going to have to be patient, as the 2016 shows very little of the upfront appeal that was so evident when it was in barrel. In the glass, the 2016 is sumptuous, vivid and incredibly detailed, with generous super-ripe red fruit and floral notes that develop with time. The wine's concentration and vibrancy lead me to think it will enjoy a very long life. Wow! Drink 2024-2041.
93-96 Antonio Galloni – vinous.com (April 2017)
One of the successes of the vintage, the Grand-Puy-Lacoste is fabulous. Racy, forward and incredibly inviting, the 2016 makes a strong first impression and then never lets up. Sweet red cherry, blood orange, white pepper and floral notes give the wine its brightness and aromatic nuance. Deep, fleshy and utterly exquisite on the palate, yet light on its feet, the 2016 exudes finesse. The flavors are remarkably vivid, but in the end, it is the wine's sublime balance that places it among the highlights of the vintage. Don't miss it!
97 James Suckling – jamessuckling.com (Februari 2019)
96-97 James Suckling – jamessuckling.com (Maart 2017)
This is all about the finish with a sweet-tobacco, berry and light milk-chocolate character. Full body, very fine tannins and a juicy finish. Love the intensity and finesse at the end. Lots of energy. Could better the exquisite 2014.
94+ Lisa Perrotti-Brown - robertparker.com (December 2018)
The deep garnet-purple colored 2016 Grand-Puy-Lacoste gives up pure kirsch and red and black currants with violets and baking spices. Medium-bodied, firm and grainy, it's very expressive with good concentration and length. Drink 2021-2039.
94 Jane Anson – decanter.com (April 2017)
This has a spicy, almost toasted edge, perfectly balanced depth and a retraction of the tannins through the mid-palate that springs back again on the finish. This vintage sees the addition of 15 new small 80hl stainless steel vats in the cellar, allowing for more precision during fermentation. There is plenty of hidden power going on in this wine, with a tannin index of 79IPT, similar to the 2010. The silky tannins make this large-structured wine deceptive right now, but it is extremely well handled, particularly in the teasing out of mineral, wet stone touches flicking through the dark berry fruits. I expect it will close down a little more than some this year. Drink: 2027-2045.
17/20 Jancis Robinson – jancisrobinson.com (April 2017)
79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Merlot. Harvested 28 September to 13 October. 45 hl/ha. Very dark crimson. Very ripe and fresh. Pretty glorious expression of the vintage on the nose. Slightly dry finish but really very energetic and may be a fairly good buy. Slightly dry on the end – very British claret! Drink: 2025-2040.
94-97 James Molesworth - Wine Spectator – winespectator.com (April 2017)
Ripe, but sleek and very focused, featuring racy iron and savory notes coursing alongside the core of black currant and black cherry fruit. The fresh finish keeps everything in lockstep. Well-built.
97 Tim Atkin – timatkin.com (April 2017)
It’s up against stiff competition, but this is my pick of the Pauillac Fifth Growths in 2016. It’s a perfumed, high-toned, structured red with savoury, fine-grained tannins, a core of piercing cassis and wet stone-like flavours and haunting sweetness. Bravo! 2024-38
95-97 Jeff Leve – thewinecellarinsider.com (April 2017)
92-94 Roger Voss – wineenthusiast.com (April 2017)
96 Bettane & Desseauve (April 2017)
16,5-17,5/20 Revue des Vins de France (April 2017)
18/20 René Gabriel – WeinWisser (April 2017)
97 of 18,5/20 Jean-Marc Quarin – quarin.com (April 2017)
18/20 Jacques Dupont – Le Point (April 2017)
Grand Puy LacosteChateau Grand Puy Lacoste in Pauillac is gerespecteerd en geliefd. Hun wijnen zijn zuiver en precies gevinifiëerd en de kwaliteit is er steeds betrouwbaar. Hun ware Pauillac-persoonlijkheid vertaalt zich in fijne aroma’s van cassis en potlood, eigen aan oudere Cabernets op een arme terroir van Graves pauillacaises. Grand Puy Lacoste is 90 hectare groot waarvan 55 hectare is beplant met ¾ Cabernet Sauvignon en ¼ Merlot. Onmiddellijk buren zijn Pontet Canet en Mouton Rothschild. De grootste successen van Grand Puy Lacoste zijn 1949, 1982, 1990, 2005, 2009 en 2010. Weet U waarom de Chinezen hem “the Crocodile wine” noemen? De tweede wijn van Grand Puy Lacoste is Lacoste Borie. BorieFrançois-Xavier Borie is de eigenaar van Grand Puy Lacoste en Haut Batailley, die beide in 1855 geklasseerd warden als Cinquième Grand Cru Classé. Hij wordt bijgestaan door zijn dochter Emeline.
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