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Château Grand-Puy-Ducasse
As I have discussed in my profile of Grand-Puy-Lacoste, these two viticultural entities sprang forth from a larger estate which existed during the Middle Ages in the northern parts of the commune around Pauillac. Thus much of the words written here, concerning the early history of this estate, are also to be found in my profile on Grand-Puy-Lacoste. The original estate incorporated the Grand Puy, one of the many gravel croupes which are a feature of the Haut-Médoc, and which often provide the perfect terroir for Cabernet, and as a consequence they have an association with many of the greatest estates of the region. The Grand Puy, puy being another of the seemingly endless litany of words which refer to a hill or mound, lies a few kilometres inland of the town of Pauillac, and the soil that lay on it five centuries ago belonged to a Monsieur de Guiraud. He had two daughters, one of whom married a gentleman named Dejean, and the estate seems to have been passed down this line. From here it passed to their son, Bertrand, and it was possibly during his tenure that the estate was divided, giving rise to the two Grand-Puy estates that exist today. Dejean was a fairly wealthy landowner, buying and selling land; he owned the nearby Lynch-Bages as well as the vineyards on the Grand Puy. In 1750 he passed some of the latter vineyards to Pierre Ducasse, a creditor, and common sense would suggest that this was the origin of Grand-Puy-Ducasse. What remained with the Dejean family, subsequently inherited by one of his daughters, was the origin of Grand-Puy-Lacoste.
Over
the years that followed the two properties existed independently, each
ranked accordingly, with some classifications, such as Wilhelm Franck's, which
he drew up in 1845, placing Lacoste ahead of Ducasse, although in the
1855 classification
both were ranked as cinquièmes crus. Nevertheless, the sentiment that
Lacoste leads Ducasse is one that seems to
have carried through to modern times, as it is the former that is frequently
touted as an over-performer and candidate for promotion, whereas no such
compliments are paid to the latter. During the late 19th and early 20th century
there was the now familiar sequence of phylloxera, oidium, war and depression,
and for decades since the wines never seem to have excelled. By the opening of
the 20th century, the estate had already passed to the Deroy de Suduiraut
family, a branch of the Suduiraut family better known for their activities in
Sauternes. The estate was subsequently acquired by Mestrezat, which has since
been amalgamated into the Cordier-Mestrezat firm of négociants. Here it
forms part of a small portfolio of top estates also including
Meyney and Rayne-Vigneau.
Over the years there have been many interested parties, including the Merlaut
family, better known for their revitalisation of estates such as Gruaud-Larose, Chasse-Spleen,
Citran, Ferrière, La Gurgue and
Haut-Bages-Liberal. They
purchased a substantial share in Mestrezat in 1970, a year before they acquired
Grand-Puy-Ducasse and Rayne-Vigneau. More recently, a significant share was held
by Vignerons de Val d'Orbieu, a leading Languedoc co-operative, but in 2004 they
relinquished their share and Cordier-Mestrezat saw some fresh and seemingly much
needed investment from the French bank Crédit Agricole. This famous French
financial institution acquired more than 400 hectares of vineyards, including
Ducasse, in exchange for 95 million Euros.
The vineyards of Grand-Puy-Ducasse now amount to over 30 hectares, with the area, originally 10 hectares when under the direction of Ducasse, having more than trebled since the acquisition of the estate by Cordier-Mestrezat. They purchased a 10 hectare plot of fifteen year old vines, and a 10 hectare plot of old vines, and thus today the vineyards lie mainly in three different sections. Those to the north lie close to the Mouton and Lafite vineyards, there are those around the Grand-Puy to the west of Pauillac, and there are some to the south close to the Batailley vineyards. Of note is the 18th century château, which unusually is located near the quay in Pauillac itself, rather than out among the vines. The terroir is typically deep gravel over limestone bedrock, and the varieties are 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot planted at about 10000 vines/ha. Under the ownership of Cordier-Mestrezat there has been some investment in the cellars, with a renovation of the chai in the 1980s and the introduction of stainless steel the following decade. Once harvested by hand, the fruit is fermented in steel, and sees a maceration of up to three weeks, with pumping over twice every day to submerge the cap. The process is overseen by Bernard Monteau, with consultation from Denis Dubourdieu. Once done, the wine will go into oak, up to 40% new each vintage, for up to 18 months. The grand vin is Château Grand-Puy-Ducasse (18000 cases per annum) and there are two second labels, Château Artigues-Arnaud, named after a Ducasse ancestor, and Prélude à Grand-Puy Ducasse (about 2000 cases per annum).
I have only tasted a couple of vintages of Grand-Puy-Ducasse in recent years, but have had two stabs at the 2004 within a year or two of the vintage. I was impressed, as it showed very well on each occasion, with my second tasting a little more convincing than the first (when it was up against some stiff competition at the annual UGC tasting). If such successes are repeated, perhaps reflecting new investment by Crédit Agricole, Grand-Puy-Ducasse may well garner a reputation as an estate turning out tasty, good value wines. As such, perhaps it can replace those estates which once held such a reputation, but which are now simply priced too high? (6/4/07)
Contact details:
Address: Château Grand-Puy-Ducasse, 33250 Pauillac
Telephone: +33 (0) 5 56 11 29 00
Fax: +33 (0) 5 57 11 29 01
Internet: www.cordier-wines.com
GPS: 45.199863, -0.746571
Château Grand-Puy-Ducasse - Tasting Notes
Château Grand-Puy-Ducasse (Pauillac) 2010:
The blend here is 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot, a very high
concentration of the latter for the commune. It is much less concentrated at the rim than Grand-Puy-Lacoste,
which I tasted alongside. It still
has a very bright and vibrant hue though. The fruit quality certainly has a seductive tone
to it, with a rather plump and creamy character, laced with a little grainy soot, but overall
it has a very flattering style. With subsequent tastes it becomes increasingly sooty and smoky on the palate though,
this characteristic rather dominating the fruit, and the tannins soon start to dominate too.
They come across as rather inky and extracted, and there is a big chewy finish in keeping with this. Having
discovered the assemblage, I think I know why this might be. All the
same, for the estate in question, a good wine. From my
Bordeaux 2010 primeurs assessment. 15-16/20 (April 2011)
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Château Grand-Puy-Ducasse (Pauillac) 2009:
There is sweet and almost confected red fruit on the nose here, with suggestions
of cola alongside the macerated cherry and blackberry character. It is slightly
herbal too, with a touch of blackberry leaf to it. A fleshy palate, showing
peppery grip through the middle, and plenty of incisive acidity, although it
seems short of fruit character at the moment. The finish is marked by structure
rather than character. To me it feels rather flat and forced. From a tasting of
2009 Bordeaux
at two years of age. 15.5/20 (October
2011)
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Château Grand-Puy-Ducasse (Pauillac) 2009: This wine has a vibrant, cherry-red hue with a
bluish rim. On the nose I find some dark but crunchy-crystalline fruit, with
notes of tar alongside. The palate shows rather overt alcohol over a layer of
soft fruit. There is a lot of tingly grip here, lots of firm tannin too, with a very domineering character. Soft acidity. I find this lacks the
finesse demanded by my palate, and is over-extracted. From my
2009 Bordeaux
primeur assessment. 14.5-15.5+/20 (March 2010)
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Château Grand-Puy-Ducasse (Pauillac) 2008:
Rather anonymous fruit here, spicy, crushed red-back fruits with elements of
black pepper. Rather a bold texture on entry, a shell of substance, without a
lot of flesh within, not showing a lot of fruit but showing plenty of structure.
Lots of grip, lots of spice too, and rather a hot fruit finish. Broad, a touch
over-worked, with more heat than I would like. Not very convincing. From a tasting of
2008 Bordeaux
at two years of age. 14-14.5/20
(October 2010)
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Château Grand-Puy-Ducasse (Pauillac) 2008:
Black fruit on the nose here, a touch of rich cherry, but it also seems a little
vegetal too? A very firm composition on the palate, with lots of substance and
brawny character. Broad but raw, showing a lot of acid and some background
tannin. It all seems very loose-knit. A lesser wine this year. From my
2008 Bordeaux
primeur assessment. 14.5-15.5+/20 (April 2009)
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Château Grand-Puy-Ducasse (Pauillac) 2007:
There are some unusual aromatics here, reminiscent of sweet, cola-like
confectionery, a slightly vegetal aroma which I often naturally associate with
the use of rather less-than-ripe fruit. This character comes through on the
palate too, where there are notes of aubergine and green vegetables. This is
rather more reminiscent of ratatouille than I was expecting. Perhaps the two
would be a good match? Overall the fruit profile does not appeal to me, which is
a shame as the structure on the palate seems to have a very decent definition,
with only moderately firm acids and nice if rather chewy-in-the-finish tannins.
A disappointment as this showed better two years ago. From a
2007 Bordeaux
tasting at four years of age. 12.5/20 (November 2011)
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Château Grand-Puy-Ducasse (Pauillac) 2007:
Tasted en primeur, the sample seemed charcoaly and sharply unbalanced.
Was it just faulty? This seems better; nicely perfumed violet fruit on the nose,
with lightly honeyed oak, these two elements working well together. A soft and
supple entry, somewhat unknit, but with ripe tannins and a soft texture, a touch
lean but with some substance. The tannins are still quite obvious, with a chalky
character, but overall this is at least approachable. From a tasting of
2007 Bordeaux
at two years of age. 15.5+/20 (October 2009)
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Château Grand-Puy-Ducasse (Pauillac) 2007:
The fruit here is very well hidden under a layer of charry oak, but there is a nice sweetness to it. On
the palate, though, there is a lot of extract apparent and it seems rather hard
to me as a result. The midpalate throws out a rather bitter, sharp, needling
character. I think this has been over-worked. From my
2007 Bordeaux
en primeur assessment. 12-13+/20 (April 2008)
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Château Grand-Puy-Ducasse (Pauillac) 2005:
This is dense and rather reserved, and is showing some nutty oak and dense fruit
on the nose, but it is a little muted compared to some of its peers. It has a
lighter, elegant style, fresh and crisp, with a fine balance. The composition is
good, but the flavours are well hidden today, as was noted with the aromatics on
the nose. Could be good but difficult to judge at present. From my tasting of
2005 Bordeaux at two
years of age. 16-17+/20 (October 2007)
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Château Grand-Puy-Ducasse (Pauillac) 2004: A good, deep colour,
showing an attractive concentration right out to the rim. Deep, fruit-filled
nose, with some nutty oak still. This has appeal. Full with an admirable weight
on the palate, still with a lot of primary fruit and a nice grip. Fresh, but
with lots of texture, and certainly stylish. A really nicely judged composition,
with good balance. I feel even more positive about this wine than I did last
year; this is a real success for Grand-Puy-Ducasse. 17+/20 (February 2007)
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Château Grand-Puy-Ducasse (Pauillac) 2004: A forward nose showing some appealing,
red fruit character. Rather creamy style, although with quite prominent tannins
which transect the wine on the palate. Firm acidity. Overall a lot of structure
showing here, although there is a good presence of fruit too, and it certainly
has texture. I think it will hold together. From the
Bordeaux 2004 UGC tasting. 16.5+/20 (October 2006)
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Château Grand-Puy-Ducasse (Pauillac) 1996: A dense and glossy
purple wine. The nose has captivating aromas of roasted meats and tarry fruit. A
full bodied impression on the palate, roundly textured, with big, firm tannins.
There's an austere edge to the flavour profile, which has touches of dried, roasted
meats and beef extract. Correct acidity. Needs 3-4 years. From a
1996 Bordeaux tasting. 16.5+/20 (October 2002)
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