Château Grand Puy Lacoste - Pauillac 2016 6b11bd6ba9341f0271941e7df664d056

Wine Spectator

94 / 100

byJames Molesworththe2/5/2019

A lively style, with lots of briar and tobacco notes out front, backed by punchy plum and black currant paste flavors. Has a shot of sweet tobacco lining the finish, with echoes of savory and hints of iron giving this range and length. Best from 2023 through 2038. 10,000 cases made.  –JM

Jamessuckling.com

97 / 100

byJames Sucklingthe2/4/2019

A neoclassical edition of Grand-Puy-Lacoste, this has cedar, graphite, deeply integrated cedar and spicy-oak influence and a very fresh array of ripe blackberries, dark cherries and cassis. The palate is so seamless. It builds beautifully and delivers a long, seamless array of perfectly ripe dark fruit, swathed in fine, firm, ascending layers of tannins. As good as we have seen in recent vintages, this is a star of the vintage. Try from 2024.

Vinous

95 / 100

byNeal Martinthe1/24/2019

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.

Vinous

95 / 100

byAntonio Gallonithe1/21/2019

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, v 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! 95+

Wine Advocate

94 / 100

byLisa Perrotti-Brownthe11/30/2018

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.

Decanter.com

96 / 100

byJane Ansonthe10/26/2018

Wein Wisser

18 / 20

the5/22/2017

79 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 21 % Merlot, 45 hl/ha. Purpurgranat mit Granatschimmer am Rand. Dichtes, süsses Walderdbeerbouquet, dahinter Himbeermark und Rosenholz sowie Veilchen – alles zusammen vermischt sichzu einem betörenden Parfüm. Am eleganten Gaumen stützendes Tannin, mit viel Frische und roten Johannisbeeren im Rückaroma und ein sehr langes, elegant nachklingendes Finale – was für eine tänzerische Delikatesse! François-Xavier Borie sieht Parallelen zum grandiosen 1996er, aber mit dem Plus an Präzision!

Bettane & Desseauve

96 / 100

by Bettane & Desseauvethe5/3/2017

Forme classique, légèrement plus discrète que chez quelques voisins, mais la température de l’échantillon présenté au château était un peu élevée. Tannin très droit et authentiquement Pauillac.

Wine Advocate

95-97 / 100

byNeal Martinthe5/2/2017

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.

The Wine Cellar Insider

95-97 / 100

byJeff Levethe4/27/2017

Dewy and succulent cassis, smoke, tobacco, cedar wood and blackberry aromas pop up with just an easy swirl or two. Refined, polished, elegant with a medium-bodied personality, ending with loads of sweet, dark fruit. This vintage from GPL has the structure to age, coupled with the silky-mouth feel that its loyal tasters enjoy. The wine was made from a blend of 79% Cabernet Sauvignon and 21% Merlot. The harvest took place September 28 to October 13. 

Vinous

93-96 / 100

byAntonio Gallonithe4/26/2017

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!

Decanter.com

94 / 100

byJane Ansonthe4/25/2017

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. Drinking Window 2027 - 2045

matthewjukes.com

19 / 20

byMatthew Jukesthe4/25/2017

François-Xavier Borie told me that his Cabernet berries were full of ‘thick juice’ as opposed to being made from smaller grapes than usual, which other properties reported, and this is the reason for the amazing concentration in this wine. The intensity of fruit is incredible with rare depth and traction on the tongue and this is also a vehicle for superb, grainy tannins. The oak is more obvious on the nose than usual and it is clear that this is a wine to keep for a long time. Powerful but also relatively lithe in terms of structure and weight, this is an amazing wine and a perfect counterpoint to the more exuberant 2015. The style and accuracy paraded by GPL in 2016 is a model for the commune and I anticipate it outliving the more flamboyant 2015, too. 19++(79 Cabernet Sauvignon, 21 Merlot) | 75% new oak | 13.3% alc. | 45 hl/ha.

Jancis Robinson

17 / 20

byJancis Robinsonthe4/21/2017

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!

Wine Enthusiast

92-94 / 100

byRoger Vossthe4/19/2017

Barrel Sample. This wine is generously structured and rich, with firm tannins. It does have a hint of bitterness, though it should integrate quickly. It will be a fine wine from about 2027 on.

Wine Spectator

94-97 / 100

byJames Molesworththe4/10/2017

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.—J.M.

Jamessuckling.com

96-97 / 100

byJames Sucklingthe4/5/2017

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.