Wine Advocate 91 / 100 byRobert Parkerthe4/30/2015 Always a favorite among consumers, Xavier Borie’s is a fifth-growth Pauillac that consistently performs at a much higher level. The 2012 Grand-Puy-Lacoste has the classic, tell-tale crème de cassis as well as some bluer fruits and floral notes. Medium-bodied, its ripe tannin, beautiful fruit and low acidity give it an up-front appeal. There’s no harm in drinking it now or cellaring it for another 12-15+ years.
Jamessuckling.com 93 / 100 byJames Sucklingthe2/15/2015 This is very muscular with blackcurrant, blueberry and mineral character. Full and tight now but this shows a serious backbone of tannins and length. Try in 2018.
Wine Spectator 93 / 100 byJames Molesworththe2/10/2015 Well-built, with a charcoal frame that melds nicely with steeped currant, blackberry paste and dark plum fruit flavors. The long finish is riveted to a graphite underpinning. Remarkably dense, but without the austere twinge of the vintage. Best from 2018 through 2030. Tasted twice, with consistent notes. 11,665 cases made. –JM
Jancis Robinson 16,5 / 20 the12/11/2014 Meaty and dark-plum fruit. Powerful, spicy and a bit brutal at the moment but lots of potential. (JH)13.5% Drink 2022-2035(16,5+ points)
timatkin.com 94 / 100 byTim Atkin MWthe6/30/2013 GPL is one of those châteaux that delights its followers year after year without ever getting the recognition it deserves from American critics. This is typical of the style, with the emphasis on grace and balance, chiseled acidity, medium-weight tannins, pure cassis fruit and a nuanced, sweet finish. Drink: 2020-35
Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar 90-92 / 100 byIan D'Agatathe6/30/2013 Deep purple-ruby. Highly aromatic nose offers scents of smoky blackberry, red cherry, violet, cocoa and spicy oak. Juicy, spicy and rather deep for the vintage, with nicely concentrated sour cherry and bright blackcurrant lifted by a floral element. A peppery twist complicates the rising, almost creamy finish, which shows a restrained sweetness and sneaky concentration. One of the top two dozen wines of the vintage.
Le Point 17-17,5 / 100 byJacques Dupontthe5/16/2013 Fruits noirs, épices, boisé marqué, bouche avec de l'éclat, de la profondeur, séveux, plein, tendu, riche, long, serré, bien équilibré. O= 2017 G= 14 ans.
Wine Advocate 92-94 / 100 byNeal Martinthe5/2/2013 Tasted en primeur at the château. The Grand Puy Lacoste 2012 is a blend of 76% Cabernet Sauvignon and 24% Merlot picked between 3rd and 16th October at 36hl/ha and matured in 75% new oak. The aromatics are reticent at first, demand coaxing from the glass. It reluctantly offers blackberry, small dark cherries and a fragrant seaweed scent. The palate is medium-bodied with firm, grainy tannins that appear fully ripe. There is a very attractive symmetry to this wine, wonderful focus with a fresh, refined finish that is not powerful like the 2009 or 2010, but offers a pleasant salty tang. This is a well crafted wine for the vintage. Tasted April 2013.
Wine Spectator 89-92 / 100 byJames Molesworththe4/30/2013 Racy, taut and mineral-driven, with iron coating the red currant and violet notes. Delivers a long, sleek finish. —J.M.
matthewjukes.com 18 / 20 byMatthew Jukesthe4/30/2013 More feminine than usual with exquisite perfume and tender, multi-layered fruit. Ultra-classy and fine.
Wine Advocate 87-89 / 100 byRobert Parkerthe4/26/2013 Aromas of tobacco leaf, roasted herbs and red and black currants cascade from the glass of this medium-bodied, restrained, down-sized 2012 Grand Puy Lacoste. Displaying a dark ruby/purple color and no herbaceousness, this lighter-styled wine is somewhat reminiscent of the 1999 and 2001. Drink it over the next 10-12 years.Drink: 2013 - 2025
The Wine Cellar Insider 90-92 / 100 byJeff Levethe4/26/2013 Blending 76% Cabernet Sauvignon with 24% Merlot, the wine will be aged in 75% new French oak barrels. With coaxing, cassis, cedar and earthy aromas could be discerned. On the medium-bodied palate, black cherry, spice and cassis sensations end with a hint of fennel in the finesse finish. 90-92 Pts
My Bettane + Desseauve 17 / 20 the4/26/2013 Le vin ne se présente à son mieux qu’au château, comme souvent cette année car la fraîcheur de l’échantillon était capitale. Grand nez noble de cèdre, tannin harmonieux et racé, parfaite définition du pauillac.
Jean-Marc QUARIN 16,5 / 20 byJean-Marc Quarinthe4/25/2013 Couleur sombre de bonne intensité. Nez fruité, pur, mûr, joli et noble. Vin soyeux dès l’attaque se développant aromatique et distingué dans son toucher. À partir du milieu surgit une belle note de cabernet sauvignon et une trame serrée et très séveuse qui rappelle le meilleur de Pauillac. Ce vin est plus serré que d’habitude et cela lui va très bien ! Très belle longueur savoureuse. Un succès.
Jancis Robinson 16 / 20 byJancis Robinsonthe4/24/2013 Drink 2018-2030Edgy blackcurrant aromas. Dense and, for the first time, this wine seems a little lacking in freshness. Almost as though it had been deacidified! Perhaps this was not a good sample as this property usually over-delivers.
Decanter.com 17,75 / 20 bySteven Spurrierthe4/22/2013 Superb colour, all the density of cassis/graphite fruit of a true Pauillac and lots of depth, elegance and class for an assured future. 17.75/20pts ( 92/100pts)Drink: 2017 - 2035
Jamessuckling.com 92-93 / 100 byJames Sucklingthe4/4/2013 Extremely well done for the vintage with a serious depth of fruit and firm, silky tannins. Creamy texture and a mineral, dark fruit character.