Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste 2018

Harvest date

September 21 to October 5, 2018

Blend

78% Cabernet Sauvignon - 22% Merlot

Tasting notes

Grand-Puy-Lacoste 2018 is another in a series of great vintages. The blend gives pride of place to Cabernet Sauvignon (78%), which expresses all the character and charm demonstrating the richness and quality of this fine terroir. The wine is a deep, intense, brilliant crimson red. The bouquet reveals aromas of ripe black fruit and licorice, reinforcing the character of perfectly ripe grapes, while retaining a lovely freshness and minerality.

On the palate, the attack is precise, very dense and complex. This 2018 is beautifully balanced, combining power, elegance and complexity. It has a long, very aromatic and tannic finish. The whole reveals great ageing potential. It will undoubtedly be one of the estate's great successes to celebrate its 40th anniversary in style!

The Style

Among the crus of Pauillac, Grand-Puy-Lacoste is considered "a great classic", combining consistency over time with the spirit of each vintage.

Wines are the expression of terroir, climate and grape varieties, but they always bear the imprint of those who made them. Thus, while remaining humble about the gifts of nature, François-Xavier Borie likes to speak of the Grand-Puy-Lacoste "signature", perfectly highlighted by vertical tastings.

The wines have a beautiful deep color, the nose is very pure, complex, subtle and refined. Depending on the vintage, ripe fruit or floral aromas are the first to emerge, followed by toasty, spicy and vanilla notes... Over time, the whole acquires remarkable richness and fullness.

On the palate, you're struck by an elegant, racy presence that unfolds from the attack to the final moments of persistence, for constant, nuanced pleasure. The flavors confirm and amplify the sensations perceived on the nose, with a wide range of fruity notes, including blackcurrant, which blossoms with age. The wines are straightforward, with a powerful tannic structure, but they remain silky.

The fourth dimension of Grand-Puy-Lacoste is that of time. It is by nature a long-keeping wine, requiring eight to ten years to reveal its full potential, combining power and harmony. Each vintage reaches its full potential after a period that corresponds to its profile. "Patience is rewarded with complex aromas of fruit Secs, tobacco, Havana and cedar wood, velvety tannins and exceptional aromatic length" Markus del Monego, World's Best Sommelier 1998.