2016 Chateau Grand Puy Lacoste

A truly classic, age worthy style of wine from Pauillac, Chateau Grand-Puy-Lacoste is one of those Fifth Growth wines that shine in great years, rivalling the very best from the region. This is most recently seen in the pairs of 2009/2010 and 2015/2016. Currently plantings on the 55 hectare estate are 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, and 5% Cabernet Franc.

Other Reviews....
The 2016 Grand Puy-Lacoste has a clean, precise bouquet with nicely detailed blackberry, briar and tobacco aromas, touches of mint emerging with time, all utterly charming. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins and a fine bead of acidity, conveying a sense of symmetry throughout and leading into a deft, quite persistent finish. This is very classy, and it should age with style. Tasted blind at the Southwold tasting. Drink 2023-2055.
97 points
Neal Martin - Vinous (Jan 2020)

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.
97 points
James Suckling (Jan 2019)

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. Drink 2021-2039.
94+ points
Lisa Perrotti-Brown - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (Dec 2018)

A Pauillac fifth growth estate with a strong reputation for outperforming its classification, Grand-Puy-Lacoste remains family-owned and run by François-Xavier Borie. The estate’s 58ha of vines in production are located on deep gravel soils. The 2016 is a blend of 79% Cabernet Sauvignon and 21% Merlot, vinified in stainless steel and aged for 18 months in French oak barrels (75% new). Georgie Hindle: Aromatic and forward. Lively, powerful, firm with plentiful tannins. Cherry, cranberry and ripe plum. Lashings of liquorice, cola and mint. Not overly spiced but still quite tight. Vincenzo Arnese: Elegant nose, very floral, hints of roses. Integrated sweet spice. The palate is fresh, with good structure. Nicely balanced. Robert Mathias MW: A Pauillac of great poise. A strong mineral inflection, with kelp and iodine notes that accentuate the ripe, dark berry fruit. Hints of black tea and cocoa. Very fine. Drink 2025-2038.
96 points
Panel tasting - Decanter (Apr 2025)