Mathusalem Château Grand Puy Lacoste - Pauillac 2017 b5952cb1c3ab96cb3c8c63cfb3dccaca

Wine Advocate

90 / 100

byLisa Perrotti-Brownthe3/17/2020

Composed of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Merlot, the 2017 Grand-Puy-Lacoste was aged in French oak barriques, 75% new. Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, it opens with notes of fresh black raspberries, kirsch and crushed black and red currants with hints of spice box, fragrant soil and potpourri. Medium-bodied, the palate is frisky and fresh with a moderate level of approachable, soft tannins and compelling restraint on the finish. Drinking Window : 2020 - 2030

Vinous

91 / 100

byAntonio Gallonithe3/11/2020

The 2017 Grand-Puy-Lacoste is pretty and gracious, but it is also a little light in feel. There is good energy to the 2017, and plenty of Cabernet Sauvignon character. Today, the 2017 comes across as a bit austere and not especially charming. Let's see what happens with some time in bottle. 91+

Wine Spectator

92 / 100

byJames Molesworththe2/7/2020

A taut and minerally version, defined by a chalky underpinning that harnesses the core of damson plum, bitter cherry and red currant fruit. Streaks of cedar, chestnut and bay leaf mark the finish. Shows the austere, iron-driven side of Pauillac. Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Best from 2023 through 2038. 10,000 cases made. — JM

Jamessuckling.com

93 / 100

byJames Sucklingthe1/13/2020

Aromas of fresh raspberries with some lemon peel and fresh herbs follow through to a full to medium body. Fresh herbs and graphite highlight the wine. Chewy finish. Needs time to soften. Better after 2022.

Le Point

17 / 20

byJacques Dupontthe6/20/2018

Joli fruit pur, tanins fins, texture enrobante, élevage élégant, finale relevée, bien bâti, tanins présents, beaucoup de délicatesse.

Jeb DUNNUCK

89-92 / 100

byJeb Dunnuckthe6/12/2018

The 2017 Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste is an 80/20 split of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot that was harvested between the 15th and 29th of September. Yields were a solid 45 hectoliters per hectare. This medium-bodied, fresh, lightly textured 2017 is a perfect example of the vintage with its charming, ripe, yet more mid-weight style. Classic Pauillac cassis, lead pencil, leafy herbs, and gravelly minerality all emerge from the glass. It’s going to benefit from just short-term cellaring and keep for a decade or more.

Vinifera

92-94 / 100

byJacques Perrinthe5/28/2018

Nez fruité et frais, très ouvert, sur la fraise épicée. Vin de demi-corps, extrait avec doigté, s’allonge bien, sur le raffinement plutôt que le muscle, c’est très bon.

Vinous

90-93 / 100

byAntonio Gallonithe5/15/2018

The 2017 Grand-Puy-Lacoste is bright, floral and nicely lifted. Gracious in style, the 2017 is built on a core of fresh, red-toned fruit. Silky tannins add to the wine's elegant, cooly sophisticated personality. There is plenty to like and admire in this classically restrained, gracious Pauillac from François-Xavier Borie. The blend is 80% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Merlot. Tasted two times.

The Wine Cellar Insider

92-94 / 100

byJeff Levethe5/11/2018

A fresh, lively, vibrant and classically styled wine with bright, crunchy cassis, citrus, tobacco, earth and cranberry notes. The wine is medium/full bodied and seems to be holding much of what it has to offer in reserve. This is one of the few wines this year which will need cellaring before it is ready to drink. Made from blending 80% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Merlot, it reached 13.3% alcohol. The harvest took place September 15 to September 29.

Vinous

91-93 / 100

byNeal Martinthe5/1/2018

The 2017 Grand Puy Lacoste was picked from 15 to 29 September cropped at 45hl/ha, matured in 75% new oak. It has a clean, precise and conservative bouquet that takes time to open. I like the mineral tension here, the focus, and hints of freshly shucked oyster shell emerging with time. The palate is medium-bodied with fine grain tannin, fresh in the mouth with plenty of cedar and tobacco-infused red and black fruit that drive a long, slightly peppery finish. It is a quintessential Grand Puy Lacoste, sans the frills of the 2016 and yet you can already imagine this being drunk to the very last drop in about ten years time. It is simply a very likeable Grand Puy Lacoste in the making. Tasted twice with consistent notes.

Decanter.com

94 / 100

byJane Ansonthe4/25/2018

These guys often over-deliver in challenging years, and have done so yet again. As you would expect in a vintage that has produced such an excellent Lacoste Borie, this GPL is exceptional, a real success that's juicy and carefully extracted. It has weight and impact, with a Pauillac tannic hold and presence. It's one of my wines of the vintage, and a must buy. The balanced, sculpted, juicy black fruits fully deliver personality and signature style. Harvested 15-29 September, yielding 45hl/ha. 80% new oak.

Drinking Window 2025 - 2038

WeinWisser

18 / 20

byRené Gabrielthe4/25/2018

80% Caber­net Sauvignon, 20% Merlot. 45 hl/ha. Ru-bingranat mit Lila Schimmer. Feingliedriges Bouquet mit Schattenmoreilen und roten Johannisbeeren, dahinter blaubeerige Kon-turen. Am feingliedrigen Gaumen mit fein-sprOder Textur und süsslichem Extrakt. lm gebündelten Finale mit herrlichen Preisel-beeren, Himbeergelee und zarter Adstrin-genz. Was für eine herrliche Pauillac-Delikatesse!                       
18/20 2027 - 2052

Jean-Marc QUARIN

17,5 / 20

byJean-Marc Quarinthe4/17/2018

Jamessuckling.com

92-93 / 100

byJames Sucklingthe4/6/2018

Very pretty and focused with a tight and refined palate of juicy tannins and a savory finish. Elegant.

Wine Spectator

91-94 / 100

byJames Molesworththe4/4/2018

This is crunchy and lively, offering a bright herbaceous note mixed in with red and black currant fruit. There's good iron-driven cut on the finish. A bit backward, but the pieces are there for a textbook, mineral-driven Pauillac.—J.M.