The name Grand Puy Lacoste comes from a combination of its location and the name of one of the original owners of the Pauillac estate. Puy is a French topographical term designating the elevations rising from the mostly flat surrounding landscapes found in numerous Bordeaux vineyards.
The second part of the Medoc estates name, Lacoste, is the name of the family who owned the property from the start of the eighteenth century until the conclusion of the nineteenth century as you will see.
The initial plantings of what became Chateau Grand Puy Lacoste took place in the 1500’s when the property was owned by the Guiraud family. However, credit for forming much of what we know of as Chateau Grand Puy Lacoste belongs to the Dejean family. They were quite active in Bordeaux during the 1700’s.
In fact, they possessed what later became Chateau Lynch Bages as well. In 1750, the Dejean family sold a portion of their Bordeaux vineyards to Pierre Ducasse. Part of those vines became Grand Puy Ducasse while the remainder of the vineyard was used to create Chateau Grand Puy Lacoste.
However, before the estate took on the name we know today, due to the line of succession on the female side of the Dejean family, for a time, the wines were sold under the name of Grand Puy Saint Guiron. That changed when one of the daughters married into the Lacoste family.
This marriage not only led to the official name of the estate, they were also responsible for building the beautiful chateau that remains in use today at Grand Puy Lacoste. The chateau was constructed at the time of the 1855 Classification.
In 1932, Chateau Grand Puy Lacoste was purchased by the Dupin family. The new owner Raymond Dupin was a famous character who was well-known because he enjoyed the good and slightly decadent side of life. His dinner parties, hospitality and wine cellar were quite famous. If you were lucky enough to receive an invitation to dinner, it was one invite you never turned down!
Raymond Dupin owned Grand Puy Lacoste until 1978. Before his death, he passed the remainder of his estate to the Borie family, which was headed by Jean Eugene Borie, the father of the current owner, François-Xavier Borie, who began his career at Grand Puy Lacoste with the 1979 vintage.
The Borie family have extensive roots in the Bordeaux region. They moved to Bordeaux in the late 1800’s and started out as negociants. Their first vineyard purchase was Chateau Caronne Ste. Gemme, in the Haut Medoc appellation. The Borie family later purchased Chateau Ducru Beaucaillou in St. Julien, as well as Chateau Haut Batailley in Pauillac.
François-Xavier Borie is the current owner and winemaker at the estate, a role he took over in 2003. His daughter Emeline Borie continues taking a more active role in helping her family manage Chateau Grand Puy Lacoste.
Under the watchful eye of François-Xavier Borie, the estate was completely renovated, in the vineyards and in the winemaking facilities and cellars starting in 2004. François-Xavier Borie purchased the numerous, large, gleaming, stainless steel, fermentation tanks which are in use today at the Left Bank chateau. In 2016, Chateau Grand Puy Lacoste went through another renovation and modernization of their vat rooms and barrel cellars.
Tasting notes
This is a very good vintage with quality underlined by cabernets sauvignons of exceptional nobility. This wine presents a very deep, dark red colour. The "bouquet” reveals aromas of complex fruits and hints of ripe blackcurrant. The attack on the palate is precise, very dense, and follows with an exceptional velvety richness. The tannins are suave and elegant. It shows a beautiful complexity, combining smoothness and purity. A very well balanced wine with a spectacular length. In one word, a Grand Puy Lacoste with the promise of a bright future!
🏅James Suckling 96 pts
Swathed in spicy and toasty oak aromas, this has a wealth of superbly expressed red and dark berries, flowers and mint. The palate delivers a very assertive and energetic array of dark berries and spiced plums with a fresh, focused, vibrant finish. Superb wine.
🏅Wine Advocate 91+ pts
The 2015 Grand-Puy-Lacoste is medium garnet-purple colored with a nose of red and black currants, cedar chest and roses with a touch of dusty earth. The medium-bodied mouth is chewy, with lively fruit and good balance.
🏅Vinous 92+ pts
It has a wonderful bouquet of vibrant blackberry and raspberry fruit, rose petals and graphite, all very complex and engaging. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-grained tannin. It still has some vanilla-y oak to be assimilated, but it displays a very smooth texture and fine precision toward the finish. A little more showy and modern in style than previous vintages.
🏅Wine Spectator 92 pts
This is on the charming side of the spectrum, with a rounded hint to the mix of violet-infused plum and cherry fruit, accented by notes of singed cedar and sandalwood. Light black tea and warm cast iron accents pervade the finish, returning this to a more typical Pauillac profile.
🏅Wine Enthusiast 93 pts
The wine from this estate, owned by one of the great Bordeaux families, is already balanced between fruit and tannins. Black currants from the Cabernet Sauvignon comes through strongly, giving a juicy character to the wine’s structure. It is rich and will mature well.
🏅Jancis Robinson 17.5 pts
Fragrant. Cool and zesty and very well put together. Really quite refined and fresh. Not trying to be a blockbuster but the balance is superb.
🏅Tim Atkin 95 pts
It’s time GPL were known as a great wine per se, rather than a great value for money claret (although it’s certainly that, too). This is the latest in a run of balanced, refined, “classic” Pauillacs with serious, scented oak complemented by cassis and tobacco notes, fine-grained tannins and bright acidity.
🏅Decanter 94 pts
I love this from the first nose. It’s not quite as complex as the 2017 at Grand-Puy-Lacoste, never mind the 2016, but this is still an exceptionally good Pauillac in the vintage. There’s black fruits, firm tannins, excellent graphite and slate notes and touches of liquorice with clear depth and length. Very good quality, and carefully extracted, it goes gently into the night.
🏅Jeb Dunnuck 91 pts
The 2015 Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste is another classic wine that shines for its elegance, balance, and sheer class. Offering medium-bodied notes of crème de cassis, crushed flowers, new leather, and ample tobacco, it has good tension and concentration, a fresh, tight texture, and outstanding length.
