Château Grand Puy Lacoste - Pauillac 2009

Wine Advocate

94 / 100

par Neal Martin le 01/01/2013

Served blind at the Southwold 2009 tasting. The Grand Puy Lacoste '09 has a slightly more reticent nose against its peers, but no less intriguing with aromas of blackberry, pencil shavings, a touch of undergrowth and mint. The palate is medium-bodied with a dash of spice on the entry. The build is more immediate here, a wave of intense black fruits crashing across the palate that tingles with glee long after the wine is ejected. This is a long-term wine that will repay a decade at least in the cellar. Tasted January 2013.
(94+ points)

Wine Advocate

95 / 100

par Robert Parker le 29/02/2012

Performing better from bottle than it did from cask (and comparable to their wines 2005, 2000, 1990 and 1982), this is a great classic from Xavier Borie’s estate situated on the back roads west of the town of Pauillac. Its dense ruby/purple color is followed by hints of spring flowers, crushed rocks, black currants, cedar and earth/underbrush. Precise and elegant as well as backward and foreboding, it should put on weight in the bottle and evolve for two decades. Very concentrated as well as velvety-textured, it is a beauty of finesse, balance, purity and nobility. It will benefit from 5-7 more years of bottle age.

Jamessuckling.com

95 / 100

par James Suckling le 15/02/2012

Complex and decadent. Blackberries and black currants, with fresh herbs on the nose. Tea too. Full body, with soft tannins and an earthy finish. Juicy wine. Turns to pure black currants. Best in 2018.

Wine Spectator

93 / 100

par James Molesworth le 11/02/2012

This is a step up, with ample black currant confiture and roasted fig notes allied to a racy graphite and iron spine. Very sleek through the finish, despite its heft, with a long finish filled with cassis bush and tobacco. Best from 2013 through 2025.-J.M.

Le Figaro

93-95 / 100

par Bernard Burtschy le 30/06/2010

Robe sombre. Nez fruits noirs. En bouche, l’attaque est tendue, le vin est tannique, droit, avec de la rectitude, mais aussi du gras, très mûre sauvage, finale de graphite. 80 % cabernet-sauvignon, 18 % merlot, 2 % cabernet-franc. 70 % fût neuf.

timatkin.com

96 / 100

par Tim Atkin MW le 30/06/2010

13.5% alcohol. 80CS, 18M, 2CF A very impressive Pauillac that won’t require you taking out a second mortgage to buy a case, this is deeply coloured and profound. Big and boldly structured, but not over-done. Very Cabernet in style, with lovely richness and concentration, fresh acidity and polished tannins. The decision to use less Merlot than usual is vindicated by what’s in the glass. 10+ years.

Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar

88-91 / 100

par Ian D'Agata le 30/06/2010

(80% cabernet sauvignon, 18% merlot and 2% cabernet franc; pH 3.72; 75 IPT; 70% new oak) Purple ruby. Smoky blackberry, blueberry juice, chocolate and a whiff of iron on the nose. With air, this became silky, pliant and rather easygoing, with good depth to the flavors of small dark berries and flint. Finishes with creamy tannins, good vinosity and sneaky length. Almost too easy to drink presently: should it develop more complexity, weight and depth, my score will look ungenerous.

La Revue du Vin de France

17,5-18,5 / 20

le 31/05/2010

Il apparaît plus volumineux et plus dense que son compagnon d'écurie Haut-Batailley, mais il affiche le même raffinement de texture et la même fraîcheur de fruit. La juste maturité des raisins et la proportion importante de cabernet sauvignon (80%) lui évite tout côté lourd, ce qui le rend très digeste et net. L'imposante masse tannique est bien fondue et la persistance remarquable.

Le Point

17,5-18 / 20

par Jacques Dupont le 06/05/2010

Résine, pin, violette, cerise, bouche dense, justeuse, pulpeuse, tanins gras, amples, très beau fruit et une personnalité forte. Vin élégant et solide. Tendu, résine, séveux. O=2016 G=25 ans

TAST

17,5 / 20

par Bettane & Desseauve le 30/04/2010

Grand pauillac racé et sobre, texture très nettement définie, tanin ferme mais pas dominant, sentiment de classicisme indémodable. A-t-il toute la dimension du millésime ? Notre équipe s’est posé la question à défaut de pouvoir y répondre.

Falstaff

92-94 / 100

par Peter Moser le 30/04/2010

Zart blättrige Würze, dunkles Beerenkonfit, tabakige Nuancen, kandierte Orangenzesten, Brombeeren, attraktiv. Engmaschig, komplex, frische Struktur, sehr mineralisch, mit feiner Extraktsüße im Abgang, zarter Nougat, Brombeerkonfit im Nachhall.

Wein Wisser

18 / 20

par René Gabriel le 30/04/2010

80 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc. 44 hl/ha. Sattes Purpur-Granat, lila Schimmer aussen. Elegantes Bouquet, Zedernhauch und blaue Beeren, mittlerer Druck, schwarze Pflaumen, floraler Touch. Eleganter Gaumen, schöne Souplesse, delikat balanciert mit rundlichen, geschmeidigen Tanninen, Heidelbeeren und Lakritze im Finale. Ein sehr delikater, feiner Wein, der aber heuer eine gewaltige Konkurrenz in Pauillac hat. 2017–2038

Wine Advocate

91-93 / 100

par Robert Parker le 28/04/2010

I was surprised that this wine was not more concentrated given the overall character of the vintage, and I would rate it behind the 2005, 2000, 1990, and 1982. Nevertheless, it boasts this estate’s classic creme de cassis character as well as a soft, round, medium to full-bodied mouthfeel, pure fruit, and silky tannins, but not the weight, depth, or profound concentration of the top 2009 Pauillacs. Still, this cuvee will be approachable young, and should evolve easily for two decades. (Tasted two times.) Drink 2010-2030.

Periodic Review of Wine

93-95 / 100

par Alan Duran le 28/04/2010

This could very well be the biggest Grand Puy yet tasted. It is a superb Pauillac boasting an opaque ruby/purple color along with pure perfumes of wet-stones, blueberries, crème de cassis, blackberry liqueur, and white chocolate. This Lacoste is gorgeously-finessed, beautiful in fruit extract, lavish in ripe fruit and accompanied by a medium to full-bodied, large-scaled palate impression. It tastes of crème de cassis and damp/crushed-stone. The good news is that the approachability is 5 years away which will keep collectors savoring this big effort for its two decades of life. Maturity period 2014-2034.

Wine Spectator

94-97 / 100

par James Suckling le 09/04/2010

Lovely nose of sweet currant and blueberry that follows through to a full body, with juicy, velvety tannins and a licorice, tar and dark chocolate finish. Like it. The new 1982

Decanter Magazine

18 / 20

par Steven Spurrier le 09/04/2010

Black red, big, smoky, almost leathery fruit, really great purity and intensity of flavour and great freshness and depth, with the tannins perfectly absorbed. Drink 2016-35.

Jancis Robinson

17 / 20

par Jancis Robinson le 07/04/2010

80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc. Very dark crimson. Dense and rich and supple – less obviously fresh than its Haut-Batailley stablemate. Very sweet and just a little lacking depth compared with some Grand-Puy Lacoste vintages. Sinewy. Drink 2017-2030