Decanter Magazine 18,5 / 20 bySteven Spurrierthe4/30/2014 Wonderful concentration on the nose: fragrance, dry herbs, dry cassis, all the Cabernet Pauillac fruit with an added depth. Very good richness of fruit and a very good future. Drink 2017-2035.
Wine Advocate 96 / 100 byNeal Martinthe2/25/2014 Tasted blind at the Southwold Bordeaux 2010 tasting. There is a strong marine influence on the Grand Puy Lacoste 2010 : Seaweed and brine infused into the black fruit. It is very well defined and focused, building in intensity in the glass. The palate is silky smooth on the entry - very plush and sensual - with a cashmere texure that indicated some beautifully integrated creamy oak. It fans out wonderfully towards the finish, perhaps a littl more modern in style than it peers but still beautifully crafted. Tasted January 2014.
Le Point 18,5 / 20 byJacques Dupontthe9/26/2013 Nez fruits noirs, pas débourré, encore sur ses arômes d'élevage, chocolat, bouche puissante, large, moelleuse, long, frais, juteux.
Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar 93 / 100 byStephen Tanzerthe8/31/2013 Bright red-ruby. Vibrant aromas and flavors of blackberry, cassis, licorice and mocha, with mineral and sexy oak notes adding complexity. Intensely flavored and sharply focused, with a restrained sweetness and lovely purity to its dark fruit flavors. Very rich and deep but not jammy, this superb Pauillac's depth of fruit is partly hidden today by its serious tannic structure. Hardly austere but this will be much better for several years of aging and should go on for two or three decades. 93(+?) points
Wine Spectator 93 / 100 byJames Molesworththe3/31/2013 This is dense but silky around the edges, with crushed plum and black currant fruit lined with roasted vanilla bean, tobacco and loam notes. Everything hangs solidly through the finish, lined with finely beaded acidity and leaving an echo of singed anise. Best from 2015 through 2028. –JM
Wine Advocate 95 / 100 byRobert Parkerthe3/1/2013 An absolutely magnificent wine from this very popular estate, which sits well off the Route du Vin, just to the southwest of the town of Pauillac, its classic creme de cassis and floral notes are well-displayed. The wine possesses supple tannin, a full body, voluptuous character and a layered, impressively textured mouthfeel. This is a brilliant effort from Grand Puy Lacoste that can be drunk in 4-5 years or cellared for three decades or more.
Wine Advocate 97 / 100 byNeal Martinthe2/18/2013 Tasted at the Union de Grand Cru in London and subsequently at the chateau. The 2010 Grand Puy Lacoste has a wonderful bouquet that is reticent at first, probably because it was tasted just three months after bottling. But there is patently great fruit intensity here: blackcurrant and a touch of pomegranate, interwoven with graphite and sous-bois. The palate is medium-bodied is underpinned by wonderful freshness and vitality, marrying the austerity of both Pauillac and the vintage, with intense rather than concentrated fruit. It offers stunning definition, the finish quintessential Pauillac – a little aloof, a little aristocratic, but utterly compelling. This will be a benchmark wine for the estate. Tasted November 2012
Jamessuckling.com 95 / 100 byJames Sucklingthe2/3/2013 Intense hazelnuts and blackberries on the nose follow through to a full to medium body, with chocolate and berry flavors and firm tannins. Not giving away a lot at the finish at the moment. Reserved and sophisticated. But structured and chewy. Try in 2017.
Wine Advocate 93-96 / 100 byRobert Parkerthe5/31/2011 2010: The greatest Grand Puy Lacoste since the 2005, 2000 and 1990, the fabulous 2010 reveals all the hallmarks of this estate. It boasts a dense purple color along with classic notes of creme de cassis, blueberries, blackberries, crushed rocks and flowers, sweet tannin and an exceptionally full-bodied and multilayered mouthfeel as well as a boatload of tannin. Cellar it for a decade and drink it over the following three decades. Proprietor Xavier Borie’s 2010 recalls the 2005. Drink 2021-2051
Wein Wisser 18 / 20 the5/31/2011 83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot. Extrem dunkles Purpur mit lila und violette Reflexen. Delikates Bouquet, Heidelbeeren, Cassis und Veilchen, vielschichtig. Sehr elegant im Gaumen, wirkt wie geschliffen, gebündelte Textur, noch dezent aufrauend, aber mit guten Anlagen, auch wenn er - in der Eile - etwas leichter wirktals sein Umfeld. 2018-2034
Asian Palate 91-92 / 100 byJeannie Cho Lee MWthe5/24/2011 The 2010 Grand-Puy-Lacoste is fairly deep ruby in colour, with restrained notes of cedar, plums and cassis, echoed on the palate. This is a classic Bordeaux made in an austere style, with plenty of depth and velvety-textured firm tannins. Enjoy in about five years time.
Le Point 17,5 / 20 byJacques Dupontthe5/12/2011 Fruits noirs, bouche fraîche, élégante, commence doucement et s'élargit ensuite, vin droit, fin, long, étiré, beaucoup d'allonge, grande fraîcheur. Dans le sérieux. O=2019 G=20 ans
Decanter Magazine 18 / 20 bySteven Spurrierthe4/30/2011 Still rather reserved, but excellent depth of violetty-irony Pauillac fruit and great length and elegance, a fine classic wine that will repay cellaring over a long period. Drink 2017-35. (18 points)
Jamessuckling.com 95-96 / 100 byJames Sucklingthe4/30/2011 Lovely aromas already, with currants and blackberries. Full body, with very fine, yet dense tannins and a rich finish. Reserved and sophisticated. Noble tannins.
TAST 19 / 20 by Bettane & Desseauvethe4/30/2011 Au château c’est une merveille d’équilibre et d’harmonie dans la puissance, avec une définition idéale de ce terroir si apprécié de tous. Très grande réussite, sans doute le plus parfait GPL des cinquante dernières années. Coup de cœur.
The Wine Cellar Insider 94-96 / 100 byJeff Levethe4/25/2011 Grand Puy Lacoste 83% Cabernet Sauvignon and 17% Merlot were blended to produce a deep colored wine that expresses toasty oak, cassis, coffee, jammy dark berries, tobacco and olive tapenade aromas that pair well with the full-bodied, bite of concentrated Cabernet Sauvignon, spice and cassis. Along with the stellar 2005, this is the best vintage of this wine since the outstanding 2000. 94-96 Pts
Jancis Robinson 17 / 20 byJancis Robinsonthe4/20/2011 Dramatically intense colour. But both samples I tried were a little bit tired. Sweet start but without great intensity on the mid palate. Very chewy end. Just a bit awkward and unfocused. Correct balance though with good Pauillac character. I’m just a little worried about the freshness of samples... (Stupidly, I had the chance to re-taste this chez Dourthe but was dashing for a plane and missed both it and its stablemate Haut-Batailley which I was finally able to tasted chez Bibendum 4 May). I may well have underestimated this usually very reliable wine.) Tasted open 4 May: Very deep purple. Notably fresh and lifted. Not the most concentrated 2010 and drier than some but butterly echt and not remotely manipulated. I suspect it needs time for its hidden depths to emerge. 17.5 Drink 20-32. Drink 2018-2032
Wine Enthusiast 92-94 / 100 byRoger Vossthe4/8/2011 A very densly tannic wine without fruit flavours at this stage, but does have the weight for the future. -R.V.
Wine Spectator 92-95 / 100 byJames Molesworththe3/31/2011 Juicy and still a bit compact, but with red currant, blackberry and roasted vanilla flavors. Shows the racy style of the vintage, with a solid core of fruit for balance. The pure, lengthy finish has nice polish, and this is rocksolid, with a flash of coffee at the end. —J.M.