2011 Chateau Grand-Puy-Lacoste 5. Cru
France / Bordeaux / Medoc / Haut-Medoc / Pauillac Lacoste 5. Cru Rouge
Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste 5. Cru (5th Growth/Cinquieme Grand Cru Classe in 1855). Vintage 2011 owes its structure and style, yet again, to a significant majority of Cabernet Sauvignon (78%) which reflects the richness and potential of the terroir. The color is a deep and intense red. The bouquet releases the typical aromas of black fruits and blackcurrant with added spices. The attack on the palate is pronounced, showing a structure that is both elegant and balanced. All together the wine allies finesse, freshness and persistence. This wine is very much in the idiom of the fine vintages of Grand-Puy-Lacoste where elegance aligns with tannins which are both ripe and suave.
Expert tasting notes: "Medium to deep ruby red colour with a purple rim. Clean, pronounced red-fruit aromas manage to be pronounced but not powerful. Aromas have a pure, lifted, redcurrant character. On the palate redcurrants combine with raspberry, vanilla, cocoa butter and fine, cedar-oak notes. The tannins have good grip without being astringent, they are firm without being supple. The wine has fresh acidity, alcohol is balanced, leaving the finish long with lovely fresh fruit character".
Winemaker:
Eric Boissenot.
Blend:
78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot.
Ratings:
- Vinum Wine Magazine: 18/20.
- Tim Atkin: 95/100.
Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste is a genuine family property. Jean-Eugène Borie, who was enamoured of the Médoc and its vines, bought the property in 1978. He entrusted it to his eldest son, François-Xavier Borie, who gradually renovated the chateau and its winemaking facilities. Today, his eldest daughter, Emeline, works at his side. The history of Grand-Puy-Lacoste is fascinating in many ways. It is a family saga going back to the 16th century. The name Grand-Puy, already mentioned in documents from the Middle-Ages, comes from the ancient term "puy" which means "hillock, small height". True to its name, the vineyard sits on outcrops with a terroir similar to that of the Médoc's first growths. From the 16th century the property remained attached to a single family from generation to generation, in a direct line through marriage until 1920, befare connecting with another family in 1978 – the Borie.