CHÂTEAU GRAND PUY LACOSTE
2013 5ème Cru Classé Pauillac
Again (like Haut Batailley) quite a sweet oak overlay, the fruit is more discreet, and the whole more structured and tannic. Dry and quite serious underneath, it has a sweet, lightly spicy edge, good refreshing balance and is generous too. Good Cabernet fruit and spice, and good flow too. Rating: 91 L&S (Apr 2014)
* This is a pre-shipment/primeur offer. All orders are accepted under the TERMS of this offer which differ from the terms of the rest of the site.
The 2013 Grand-Puy-Lacoste has a slightly herbaceous, tertiary nose, though there is freshness here and delineation. The palate is medium-bodied with assertive tannins, but it feels a bit forced, and there is some discombobulating greenness on the finish that jars on the aftertaste. This is one of my favorite estates in Pauillac, but this seems to have stumbled through the challenging growing season. Tasted at Bordeaux Index's 10-Year On tasting. Drinking range: 2023 - 2028 Rating: 86 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Aug 2023)
Plenty of tannic grip and it is clear this delivers Pauillac character in the form and shape of the tannins. Not the compelling depths of the best years of GPL, but there is life here, with charcoal, campfire, smoked earth, brambled black fruits and edges of mint. 70% new oak. Drinking range: 2023 - 2036 Rating: 92 Jane Anson, Decanter (Feb 2023)
Pretty much ready to go now, it has the pencil lead and cassis of vintage Grand Puy Lacoste, but all softer-framed and shorter on the palate, wiith pale ruby around the edge of the glass, more evolved in colour than any of the others in this past decade. September 30 to October 11, 75% new oak. Drinking range: 2021 - 2042 Rating: 91 Jane Anson, www.janeanson.com (Oct 2021)
Lean but intense red fruits on the nose. This is medium-bodied but concentrated, but also showing some succulence and weight. Long and spicy finish. Drinking range: 2016 - 2024 Rating: 90 Stephen Brook, Decanter.com (Oct 2016)
Dark ruby. Perfumed aromas of blackcurrant and violet. Rich and sweet on the palate, offering juicy flavors of dark plum and blueberry. Finishes smooth and persistent, with a lingering note of cedar. Rating: 88-91 Ian d'Agata - Stephen Tanzer website (May 2014)
A bouquet of spring violets the nose has lots of fragrances and the start of the palate is fresh and quite light. There is more depth in the middle a greater weight of fruit but at the back the fresh fruits dominate and the finish is quite light. Drinking range: 2018 - 2028 Rating: 88-91 Derek Smedley MW, www.dereksmedleymw.co.uk (May 2014)
Rating: 91 Tim Atkin MW, www.timatkin.com (May 2014)
Dark ruby. Perfumed aromas of blackcurrant and violet. Rich and sweet on the palate, offering juicy flavors of dark plum and blueberry. Finishes smooth and persistent, with a lingering note of cedar. Rating: 88-91 Ian d'Agata, www.vinousmedia.com (May 2014)
80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot. Vibrant purple. Compact, tight nose, but superbly supple on the palate – sieved tannins, milk chocolate, just a little bit light on the finish. Very attractive and sensitively made – very powerful, very Pauillac. 2020-2033 Rating: 17+ Richard Hemming MW - www.JancisRobinson.com (Apr 2014)
(80 Cabernet Sauvignon, 20 Merlot) 13.2% alcohol. Yields were down 15% at 31 hl/ha. More exotic on the nose than expected in this vintage and initially beautifully velvety on the palate. The tannins are strict but not out of balance – this is a wine which will age well. There is clever balance here and the wine is finely tuned. Just the right amount of press wine has been added (10%) after very careful assessment of the stock. The feeling was that the more structured elements must be chosen to suit the character of the vintage. This careful addition has broadened the flavour without adding any of the harshness or sour notes of many of the other wines. This is a terrific, lighter-styled GPL with all of their own classic hallmarks and a really clean finish. A masterful piece of winemaking in a very difficult vintage hence the big score. Rating: 18+ Matthew Jukes www.matthewjukes.com (Apr 2014)
Racy and nicely put together, with plum, red currant and iron notes in lock step, while plum pit and savory details line the finish. A singed cedar hint supports the finish. Well done. Rating: 89–92 James Molesworth, The Wine Spectator (Apr 2014)
Deep colour and finely expressed fruit, cassis with a little spice, very Cabernet, dense but lifted, good middle fruit, good future. Drink: 2018-2028. Rating: 17.25 Steven Spurrier (Apr 2014)
A firm, fresh wine with currant, chalk and mineral character. Medium body, firm tannins and a crisp finish. Fine texture to this. Rating: 89-90 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Apr 2014)
The Grand Puy Lacoste is a blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Merlot picked at 31hl/ha from 30 September until 11 October, matured in 75% new oak. It has a fragrant red berry fruit on the nose: raspberry leaf and cranberry, undergrowth and a touch of tobacco. It is very classic G.P.L. style but dialled down from previous vintages. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins and well judged acidity, harmonious with cedar and tobacco on the finish. There is not the usual structure compared to recent vintages, although it is cohesive and for want of a better word...honest. And what more can you ask from a wine? Rating: 90-92 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Apr 2014)
The 2013 Grand Puy Lacoste is terrific. Graphite, smoke, tobacco and licorice burst onto the palate, followed by layers of dark, inviting fruit. Supremely classy from start to finish, the 2013 impresses for its energy, balance and pure, mineral-driven cut. The 2013 is by no means a huge wine, but it is super-polished to the core. Rating: 90-92+ Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Apr 2014)
Château Grand Puy Lacoste
Pauillac Cinquième Cru 1855.
If there's an estate that can rival Lynch Bages for the crown of most over-performing 5th Growth, it would be Grand-Puy-Lacoste.
The "Grand Puy" is the low gravelly hill on which the vineyards sit. In 1750 a portion were sold to Pierre Ducasse and became, obviously, Château Grand Puy Ducasse while the rest, after a couple of name changes owing to inheritance by daughters, became Château Grand Puy Lacoste.
The Borie family bought into Grand Puy Lacoste in 1978 and began quite a renaissance for the property.
Just a few kilometres from the town of Pauillac, the vineyards of Chateau Grand-Puy-Lacoste total roughly 36 hectares (90 acres) with Cabernet Sauvignon making up 75% of the total plantings and the rest belonging to Merlot (20%) and Cabernet Franc (5%). Typical of the region, the vineyard consists of a deep gravel top soil on a limestone base.
Production is about 12,000 cases of wine in an average year. Fermentation takes place in temperature controlled stainless steel tanks, and then the wines are placed into oak barrels (50% new) for 18 months of aging.
Please make sure that you have read the terms of this offer which are different from those of the main website. If you are unclear as to what is involved in primeur purchases please do call us, but see the 'practical notes' below.
Ordering
Prices are per case as listed 'in bond London'.
Pre-Orders are a firm commitment from you to buy the wines you order on release, subject to the price being below the upper price of the estimated band on our website. You may also set your own upper price limit, lower or higher than ours. Pre-orders will be fulfilled subject to availability. Providing this firm commitment to us effectively gives you priority.
Wines listed on the website (after any pre-orders and allocations have been fulfilled) can be ordered in the usual way via the website order form or by email or telephone 020 7221 1982, always subject to stock remaining.
Confirmation
All orders will be confirmed by email and are contractually binding unless written cancellation is received within seven days of the confirmation date, apart from pre-orders which are binding if the release price is below the top estimate or other price you have set.
Invoices are raised at the In Bond price, excluding any duty and VAT which will become payable at the prevailing rates on arrival of the wine if required duty paid.
Payment is required on sight of invoice, by cash, cheque, debit card or credit transfer. We reserve the right to charge 2% per month on invoices unpaid after 30 days.
Delivery
- Shipment to our bond (LCB Creek Road) and insurance are included in the in bond price.
- Delivery is free to Lea and Sandeman / Elephant storage accounts, both duty paid and in bond.
- Other deliveries (In Bond and Duty Paid) are also free subject to a minimum order from the offer of £1000, orders below this total will be charged £16.50+ VAT when the wine invoices are issued. We will group deliveries and this is a charge for your entire purchases, not a per-case charge.
- Delivery for 2016 Bordeaux primeurs will probably be completed by October 2019, but we make no guarantee as to specific delivery times, and some of the Sauternes may be later.
Practical notes - how it works
We start a sale in each customer's name and add all their primeur orders to one sale which is invoiced at the end of the campaign (or when the customer wishes) for immediate payment. We and our customers find that having a single invoice for the vintage is the simpler option, but do please note that confirmed orders are still binding as above even if the final invoice has not been issued.
When the wine is shipped, unless previously specified we will assume that delivery is to be to bonded storage with Elephant Storage, but in any case, we will contact you requesting any alternative instructions. If you have another bonded delivery address you would like the wine to go to, please tell us at the time of ordering. If the wines are required duty-paid we will issue invoices at the rates prevailing at the time for the excise duty (currently £25.98 per case) and the VAT (currently at 20%) on the total of the wine cost and the duty.
Half-bottles, Magnums and larger bottles.
One of the additional advantages of buying en primeur is being able to order the wine in the bottle size you want. Even if a wine is only listed in one size, you can order any bottle or case size you want if the property supplies it, but you must order the case/bottle size you require and check that the correct size has been invoiced.
Additional charges are as follows:-
- +£15 per case of 24 half-bottles
- +£15 per case of 6 Magnums (2 bottles equivalent, 1.5 litres each)
- +£35 per individually boxed Double Magnum (4 bottles equivalent, 3 litres)
- +£45 per individually boxed Imperial (8 bottles equivalent, 6 litres) for Salmanazars, Balthazars, Nebuchadnezzars and Melchiors please enquire for availability and price.