1996 Grand-Puy-Lacoste Bordeaux Blend

Bordeaux Blend - 1.5L
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REVIEWS

JL 95 NM 93 WS 92 WA 91
JL 95

TheWineCellarInsider.com, February 2024

A robust, chewy mouthful of crème de cassis backed up by tobacco, cigar box, smoke, licorice, and herbs. Concentrated, firm, full-bodied, and drinking beautifully, this is exactly what classic Pauillac should deliver from...
NM 93

Neal Martin's Wine Journal, January 2012

Tasted at The Ledbury at the Grand Puy Lacoste dinner. This bottle is much more unevolved and closed than others that I have tried. It has very good intensity on the nose with blackberry, iodine, cassis and a touch of...
WS 92

Wine Spectator, January 2007

Lots of plum, currant and vanilla aromas. Full-bodied, with fine tannins and a fresh, citrus and fruit aftertaste.--'95/'96 Bordeaux retrospective. Best after 2008. 14,000 cases made. –JS
WA 91

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, October 2016

The 1996 Grand-Puy-Lacoste, now at 20 years old, has a very typical bouquet for this estate: correct, linear, well defined, conservative but intense, with pencil shavings, cedar and a subtle balsam aroma. The palate is...

WINE DETAILS

Color & Type Red
Varietal Bordeaux Blend
Country France
Region Bordeaux
Sub-region Pauillac
Vintage 1996
Size 1.5L

Chateau Grand-Puy-Lacoste, one of the oldest properties in the Medoc, has a long history dating back to the 16th century. It was under ownership of a single family for generations, until sold by the Lacoste family in 1920 and finally acquired by the Borie family in 1978.

The name Grand-Puy comes from the ancient term “puy” which means “hillock, small height”. True to its name, the vineyard of Grand-Puy-Lacoste sits on outcrops that rise to around 20 meters above sea level.

Long before the 1855 Classification, Chateau Grand-Puy-Lacoste’s reputation was recognized for quality. In 1776, Saint Guirons & Lacoste (its name at that time) was ranked fifth in a classification of Pauillac estates by the King's Intendant in Aquitaine, Dupre de Saint-Maur. The estate’s reputation for quality grew and the Bordeaux Classification made the “fifth growth” ranking official, placing it among the “elite” of Bordeaux wines.

Since 1978, Francois-Xavier Borie has guided Grand-Puy-Lacoste's fortunes. Major investments were made and restorations and renovations were undertaken. 58 hectares of the estate’s 90 hectares are planted with 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc.

Today, with the help of his eldest daughter, Emeline, Francois-Xavier Borie has raised Grand-Puy-Lacoste to the level of a "great Pauillac" and ensures that it maintains that status. Among Pauillac wines, Grand-Puy-Lacoste is considered "a great classic”, capable of aligning its consistent character with the spirit of each vintage.

The wines of Grand-Puy-Lacoste have a beautiful, deep color and the aromas are very pure and complex, subtle and refined. Depending on the vintage, one's first impression may be of ripe fruit or flowers, often toasted notes, spice and vanilla. With time it develops a remarkably full, rich character.

In the mouth one is struck by its elegant individuality. The flavors support and amplify its aromatic sensations with a notably large range of fruit, particularly cassis, which develops with age. The wines are well-built, with powerful tannic structure which never loses its silky smoothness.

By nature a wine for long aging, Grand-Puy-Lacoste needs between eight and ten years to reveal its full potential.