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Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste

In my original profile of Grand-Puy-Lacoste I wrote that there were "one or two châteaux at the bottom of the 1855 classification that are certainly worth knowing, tasting, buying and drinking." Updating this text just a few years on it seems that there are in fact now many more than "one or two", but regardless of their number, it remains certain that Grand-Puy-Lacoste is among them. The lowest rung of the classification, the cinquièmes crus, are dominated by the châteaux of Pauillac, which take up twelve of the eighteen slots here. Today it is probably more true that only "one or two" of this Bordeaux dozen seriously under-perform on a regular basis, while the rest provide us with a spectrum of quality ranging from good to superb, in the case of some - especially those that neighbour the Pauillac firsts of Latour, Lafite and Mouton - behaving more like super-second estates than those on the fifth rung of the ladder. Such fine quality perhaps indicates their eligibility for promotion, should such a feature of the classification exist. Lynch-Bages is an old favourite for many, frequently trotted out as an example of an over-performing estate, although it is not difficult to find nay-saying opinions and tales of a quality level that has waxed and waned over the years. And for many it is today surely the revitalised, turbo-charged Pontet-Canet that springs to mind as offering the greatest quality here. But let us not overlook Grand-Puy-Lacoste; this is also a source of some superb wines.

Grand-Puy-Lacoste: A History

The origins of Grand-Puy-Lacoste, as well as that of its twin Grand-Puy-Ducasse, lie in a single estate that existed in the northern parts of the commune around Pauillac in the Middle Ages. The estate sat on the Grand Puy, one of the many gravel croupes that characterise the terroir of the top Médoc communes, soils perfect for Cabernet Sauvignon which are thus associated with many of the greatest vineyards of the region, from the first growths right down to the fifths. 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.

Guiraud had two daughters, one of whom married a gentleman named Dejean, and the estate seems to have been passed down this line. Dejean was a fairly wealthy landowner, buying and selling land; he owned nearby Lynch-Bages as well as the vineyards on the Grand Puy. From Dejean these vineyards passed to his son, Bertrand Dejean, and it was during his tenure that the estate was divided, giving rise to the two Grand-Puy estates that exist today. This was the result of his selling some of his vineyards to Pierre Ducasse in 1750, this being the origin of Grand-Puy-Ducasse, whereas what remained with Bertrand, lands subsequently inherited by one of his daughters, was the origin of would what eventually be named Grand-Puy-Lacoste. The Dejean estate was passed down the female line through two generations, to the next daughter and then to the granddaughter, who married a Monsieur de Saint-Guiron. At this time the estate was known as Saint-Guiron, and is listed as such in documents from the mid-19th century. Their offspring, another daughter, married a certain François Lacoste, and it was through this union that the estate's modern name originated.

Modern Lacoste

By this time viticulture was firmly established on the estate, and both Lacoste and Ducasse were selling their wines with pride alongside those from other nearby Pauillac properties. Their reputations and more relevantly prices were sufficient for them to be listed in the 1855 classification of the Médoc, both ranked at the level of cinquième cru. Around this time the Lacoste family added an attractive château (pictured above) to their assets, replacing the house which had been erected during the previous century. François Lacoste bequeathed the estate to his son, Frédéric, who then passed it on to his daughter, Madame de Saint-Legier. And so began a period of instability for the estate, as it passed rapidly though the hands of several owners; Madame de Saint-Legier sold the estate to two gentlemen, Messieurs Neal and Hériveau, who themselves subsequently sold it on to Raymond Dupin in 1932.

Dupin was an absentee landlord, and although he was not too distant - he resided in Bordeaux, living a lavish, bachelor lifestyle - the estate unsurprisingly fell into decline during this time, a decline no doubt reinforced by the obligatory sequence of phylloxera, oidium, war and depression which plagued the vineyards of Bordeaux during the late-19th and early-20th centuries. From a starting point of 55 hectares the vineyards covered less than half that area in the 1960s, when they reached a low point of 25 hectares. The necessary turn-around began the following decade and only really gathered pace when, in 1978, Dupin sold half of his shares in the estate to Jean-Eugène Borie of Ducru-Beaucaillou. Over the years since the acquisition, the Borie family have gradually taken over responsibility for the château, estate and vineyards in their entirety, and it is now François-Xavier, Jean-Eugène's son, that runs the estate (and whose name is therefore on the golden plate above), having ceded control of Ducru to his younger brother Bruno.

Under François-Xavier there has been an impressive program of investment and innovation. As you might expect this began in the vineyard with increased attention to parcel selection especially with regard to the age of the vines, and picking into smaller containers to protect the fruit from crush-related damage. And naturally there has been new equipment for the expanded cellars, in particular the installation of thermoregulated vessels to allow the team to moderate fermentation temperatures. Under Borie's direction quality, which never saw the near-terminal nose-dive that some estates experienced during the 20th century but really experienced more of a long wobble, has risen even further, and the wines today are without doubt some of the best from the Pauillac fifth-growth estates.

Vines and Wines

The vineyards now cover 55 hectares of the Pauillac commune, lying across two of the all important gravel croupes in a single block around the château which, amusingly, seems to have its own bus stop just on the road outside. The vines stretch away from the château as far as the D206, which runs between Pauillac and Saint-Laurent, but they do not extend across onto the Bages plateau on the other side of the road. They also run down to the southwest, towards the vineyards of Batailley and Lynch-Moussas. The vines are predominantly Cabernet Sauvignon, accounting for 75%, the remainder Merlot, planted at a density of 10000 vines/ha, and with an average age of 38 years. The rootstocks are the typical Bordeaux duo of Riparia gloire and 101.14.

The soil here is incredibly rich in pale, gravelly pebbles as shown in the picture above, which also nicely illustrates the fall of the gravelly croupe down to the road and pasture below. Between the rows the soil is ploughed to control surface vegetation and also remove the superficial roots, encouraging the vines to drink deep, and the use of sprays by vineyard manager Marc Duvocelle is described as the "minimum effective". As might be expected, harvest is manual, the fruit going over a sorting table before being destemmed, followed by a second sorting in advance of the fermentation in stainless-steel,  temperature-controlled as described above. There is a three-week maceration before the wine does into oak for up to twenty months, using barrels perhaps up to 70% new each vintage. The process is overseen by François-Xavier along with régisseur Philippe Gouze, taking advice from oenologists Jacques and Eric Boissenot. The grand vin is Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste, of which there are up to 18000 cases per annum, and there is a second wine, Lacoste-Borie.

Lacoste Opinion

Over the years I have tasted a few vintages of Grand-Puy-Lacoste, although in a rather sporadic fashion, typically a wine here or there; a handful from the 1980s, odd examples from the 1970s and 1990s, primeur samples from very recent vintages, and so on. There are other vintages in the cellar still waiting to see the light of day I should add. In some years these wines can be superb, as I have intimated in my introduction, although they can on occasion be lacking. That was certainly my opinion of the 1997. The 1975 was marred by oxidation, but admittedly there were many faulty or otherwise disappointing wines at that tasting.

When looking at the 1981 and 1983 vintages, however, these were two very good wines, the former a little more impressive in my opinion. Jumping forward to more recent years, the 2009 samples, not only the grand vin but also the second wine Lacoste-Borie, were very impressive indeed, in keeping with the style of the vintage. As I have confessed, I have been sufficiently convinced to add some more recent vintages to my personal cellar, and will look forward to tasting and drinking these in future years. (4/4/07, updated 28/10/10)

Contact details:
Address: Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste, 33250 Pauillac
Telephone: +33 (0) 5 56 59 06 66
Fax: +33 (0) 5 56 59 22 27
Internet: www.grand-puy-lacoste.fr
GPS: 45.190073, -0.769097

Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste - Tasting Notes

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Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste (Pauillac) 2010: This wine is a blend of 83% Cabernet Sauvignon and 17% Merlot, and possesses 13.6% alcohol. On inspection this is a dark and rich wine, showing an intense berry fruit on the nose, fruit with an intense cassis-compote style, with a smoky essence on the side which is just delightful. Very pure in style, and the same character comes across on the palate; the fruit here is simply beautifully presented, the polish to it is remarkable, very honed and elegant. The acidity is very appropriate, and there is a tannin base to it, but it is very well hidden beneath the elegant polish of the wine, a polish which calls to mind the successes of Margaux and Ausone in this vintage. There is lovely vigour here. It is bright, defined, vivacious and yet full of intense promise. A wine of substantial potential. Delicious! From my Bordeaux 2010 primeurs assessment. 18-19/20 (April 2011)

Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste (Pauillac) 2009: The fruit here is restrained, but there is a freshness to it I find more reassuring, with a delightful, lifted, clean and lightly perfumed style that it wears rather well. It reminds me a little of a Pessac such is the lifted, perfumed, nuanced elegance. The palate has a delightful stony freshness, with an elegant presence through the middle, the perfumed fruit kept aloft by a light-footed structure which just sings. The finish is soft but levels out to give a long, lingering character. This has a very impressive purity and finesse. Overall this is a great effort and one of my favourites from the appellation. From a tasting of 2009 Bordeaux at two years of age. 18.5/20 (October 2011)

Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste (Pauillac) 2009: Cabernet Sauvignon 80%, Merlot 18%, Cabernet Franc 2%. 70% new oak. Yield 44 hl/ha. Vibrant hue, cherry red core, and a bright pink-red rim. Dark and characterful fruit on the nose, full of Pauillac spice, with a crystalline tinge to the plum and cherry fruit. Beautiful texture on entry, it has the vibrant fruit of a cooler vintage than this, with a supple and elegant texture. Very well integrated and cottony-silky tannins, gently coating the mouth, together with lots of fresh acidity. Lovely fruit, but with fine structure for the future. Substantial finish with a good length. One for the classicists (including me). From my 2009 Bordeaux primeur assessment. 17.5-18.5+/20 (March 2010)

Lacoste-Borie (Pauillac) 2009: This, the second wine of Grand-Puy-Lacoste, is 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc. An attractive nose, quite meaty and with savoury fruit character. There's a touch of game about it too. The palate has a pleasing stance, gently stony fruit, although appropriately textured. Nice and ripe tannins in the background, good lightly peppery acidity too. The fruit has a good broad flesh, nicely framed, with those savoury notes as found on the nose. A very decent second wine. From my 2009 Bordeaux primeur assessment. 15-16+/20 (March 2010)

Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste (Pauillac) 2007: Lightly gamey fruit on the nose here, complicated by a rather generous helping of oak. It suggests a little density and concentration, and there are slightly perfumed red fruit notes coming in behind. The sense of polish it brings to the palate is attractive, but then though the middle it reveals a coarser structure, the wine showing some slightly astringent fruit characteristics along with a fairly forceful seam of acidity. The tannins are somewhat more integrated though. It comes across as rather coarser than I expected, compared to its peers. A firm finish. From a 2007 Bordeaux tasting at four years of age. 15.5/20 (November 2011)

Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste (Pauillac) 2006: Rather a reserved style on the nose, quite dense and savoury rather than showing overt fruit characteristics. Restrained although still with a little oak softness at the edges, giving it a slight caramelly edge. The palate is very restrained at first, almost refusing to make contact with the palate, an upright but by no means austere balance of fresh, charming substance with chalk-tinged tannins and fresh acids. A bright style, slightly soft and short in the finish, but overall very attractive and set to give good drinking. From a 2006 Bordeaux tasting at four years of age. 17+/20 (November 2010)

Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste (Pauillac) 2004: A densely packed nose, full of sweet raspberry coulis, bright, vibrant and attractive. Nice flesh on the palate, a touch leaner than I perhaps expected, with stony raspberry fruit and a little touch of greenness, well framed by the acidity. Good, slightly tarry tannins. Overall a good wine. From a 2004 Bordeaux tasting at four years of age. 16.5+/20 (November 2008)

Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste (Pauillac) 2003: Decanted for two hours this still showed pretty mean and tight; it was at least four hours before this really seemed approachable and open for business. With time the nose does reveal some delightful fruit scents, dense red cherry fruit and red plum, mixed with notes of liquorice, smoke and stone. It is bright and characterful, and although it has richness and generosity it certainly doesn't have the fat corpulence that you might expect from this vintage. The same on the palate, which has substance but also piles of bitter grip and sappy-juicy acidity. It is full on but not soft or ill-defined, and although it doesn't seem very typical of château or commune I think this is more youth than the vintage. Good potential here for the cellar. From a tasting of 2003 Bordeaux. 16.5/20 (June 2011)

Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste (Pauillac) 2002: This wine really needs four hours in the decanter before it even deigned to show a mere hint of aroma. It has a clean, red-black hue without so much a suggestion of maturity save for the fading of the glorious gloss of youth, and on the nose, as my opening statement indicates, it is very tightly closed down. Given time though there is certainly something here, an evolving and very classic Pauillac style, at first releasing hints of red claretty fruit mixed with graphite and flower petals, especially violets, before unfolding into a layer of tea leaves and pencil shavings. It shows a darker style of fruit too, tinged with black olive, although still perfumed with bright, crunchy, sugar-coated violet petals. On the palate it shows a leaner flesh on entry, in keeping with the vintage, but through the midpalate it does on some occasions present a slightly more plump presence. Fresh, supple and crunchy in style rather than sweet or fleshy, still with a backbone of nicely judged tannins and fresh acidity. It all finishes very cleanly, leaving a coating of tannin which fades a little more slowly than the crystalline fruit. A good wine which most certainly has room for beneficial development in the cellar. This is on the cusp of approachability though - I would advise leaving for just a few years yet. From a tasting of 2002 Bordeaux. 16/20 (February 2011)

Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste (Pauillac) 1997: Considerable maturity of colour here. There is an elegant purity of fruit on the nose at first, which is a touch smoky. The palate has a slightly creamy texture, but is unbalanced. A low level of tannins is appropriate for the vintage, but there is prominent, incongruous acidity. No length. This wine may come around with time in the cellar - or it may fall apart. From a Bordeaux 1997 tasting. 13.5/20 (February 2003)

Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste (Pauillac) 1983: Dark, dense, with a pink-orange rim. Sweet, ripe, maturing fruit with an evolved, meaty, cinnamon nose. Full, with rounded, spicy redcurrant fruit and decent texture. A little grip here. Wood-spice notes. Sweet, graceful maturity. Ready now. Good. From a Bordeaux 1983 tasting. 16/20 (February 2005)

Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste (Pauillac) 1983: A much lighter, red-amber wine. A ripe, fruit-laden nose, with aromas of toffee and roast beef. A good creamy texture on the palate, toffee and spice. Good tannins, nicely balanced. More pepper and spice on the finish. From a Bordeaux 1983 tasting. 16/20 (November 2000)

Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste (Pauillac) 1981: This is a more densely coloured, purple and more youthful looking wine. New toffee oak on the nose, with blackcurrant fruit. Less expressive than the previous wines. Sweet, ripe and a touch fleshy on the palate. Mouthfilling, medium bodied, with nice tannins and balanced acidity. Despite the soft, opulent midpalate there is a powerful, warming finish which showcases the grainy tannins. From a Bordeaux 1981 tasting. 17.5/20 (September 2001)

Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste (Pauillac) 1975: A very similar, dark colour. A dry, dull nose, with a raisin aroma. Oxidation very evident, although not as rampant as the Lynch-Bages. Seems quite tannic on the palate, although it has good acidity and some smoky, burnt fruit to match. Quite full, and with good length, but drying out in the finish, and marred by that oxidation. From a Bordeaux 1975 tasting. Not rated. (August 2002)