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Grand Puy Lacoste 2015

RegionBordeaux
Subregion France > Bordeaux > Left Bank > Pauillac
ColourRed
TypeStill
Grape VarietyCabernet Sauvignon/Merlot

View all vintages of this wine | View all wines by Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste

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Tasting Notes

The 2015 Grand Puy Lacoste did not perform to the level I expected. That said, 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. I would give this at least five years in bottle. Tasted blind at the Southwold 2015

92+
Neal Martin, vinous.com, July 2019

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. Try from 2023.

96
James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com, February 2018

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. 2019 - 2032

91+
Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, Wine Advocate (Interim Fe), February 2018

Tasted blind. 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.
Drink 2024-2042

17.5
Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com, February 2019

Xavier Borie consistently makes one of the finest and most classic of all Pauillacs here. Frequently GPL is a match for the top names of Pauillac but is usually cheaper en primeur. Much of the fruit is used to make the second wine - Lacoste Borie. A very popular Chateau at Farr Vintners. The 2015 GPL is made from 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc. 62% grand vin, 38% Lacoste Borie. Since 2010 they have used 75% new oak here. Deep purple colour, with a classic, precise nose of blackcurrant, mint, cedar and cigar box. The palate is very elegant, with pure cassis layered by notes of incense, camphor and clove. The tannins are ripe and clearly defined, providing a balancing structure to the fruit profile. This wine is understated elegance defined, with each element finding an effortless balance, such is the precision. The finish is long, subtly layered and perfectly poised. Very, very good work that will surely be one of the best value wines of the vintage.

94
Farr Vintners, March 2016

The fruit on the nose is ripe a rich mix of black fruits the palate supple velvety with fine ripe tannins. Silky and smooth the black fruits are backed by dark chocolate and although rich and ripe at the back the finish is lighter fragrant with style and elegance.

93/95
Derek Smedley MW, DerekSmedleyMW.co.uk, April 2016

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. Drink: 2022-35

95
Tim Atkin MW, timatkin.com, April 2016

This is a stern and commanding Grand-Puy-Lacoste with a serious, firm, statesmanlike nose and a taut, chassis, rippling with muscles and brawn. There is so much to admire before you even take a sip and when you do the power and poise ratio is sublime. Like its stablemate, Haut-Batailley, this is an epically balanced wine and while there is a more decadent nose here with more obvious oak and some wilder, exotic nuances yearning to be set free, this is a benchmark Grand-Puy-Lacoste and it is built to live forever. The tannins are regal and firm and the finish is immense but at no stage does it break out of its Pauillac straightjacket nor does it lapse into excess in any department. Utterly mesmerising this estate is kicking goals year after year and this is undoubtedly one of the top wines of the vintage.

19+
Matthew Jukes, Matthew Jukes' Blog, April 2016
Read more tasting notes...

The 2015 Grand-Puy-Lacoste was an impressive Pauillac from barrel and likewise, it continues to impress in bottle. It has an intense bouquet with blackberry and strawberry fruit laced with cedar and graphite and as I mentioned in my original note, the Merlot component is a little more expressive compared to other vintages. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin and well-judged acidity. This feels so harmonious and caressing, very tensile and poised, fanning out wonderfully with a graphite-infused finish that is perhaps more approachable than recent vintages, just a wonderful wine for long-term aging. Anticipated maturity: 2022 - 2050.

95
Neal Martin, March 2018

The 2015 Grand-Puy-Lacoste, 74% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot and 3% Cabernet Franc, matured in 75% new oak and was picked between September 18 until October 4 (although the "real" picking commenced from September 21). Now, Grand-Puy-Lacoste is often quite "aloof" at this early juncture, but that is not the case with the 2015. This is more approachable aromatically, beautifully defined, thanks to that expressive Merlot and Cabernet Franc. The palate is medium-bodied with svelte tannin and finely tuned acidity (pH 3.68). Beguilingly harmonious in the mouth, it boasts a silky smooth texture with wonderful salinity on the aftertaste that is sustained in the mouth. As usual, Xavier Borie has produced a "classic" Pauillac, but one that is a little more appeasing to those that don't want to cellar for 20-30 years. You could describe the 2015 as being between 2009 and 2010...and that, folks, is not a bad place to be. Drink 2028-2060

94/96
Neal Martin, Wine Advocate (224), April 2016

This is very fine and elegant GPL with black currant and hints of walnuts, chocolate. Full body, sweet and pretty tannins. Persistent. So polished.

94/95
James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com, March 2016

So suave and well mannered! Nicely balanced with lots of ripe fruit in a suitably bordelais corset but not a standout. Well mannered rather than amazing. A big charge of tannin here. Dry finish.
Drink 2026-2040

17+
Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com, November 2017

Mid crimson. Relatively voluptuous for a 2015 Pauillac on the nose then racy and sucky-stony on the palate. Very Pauillac. Great energy.
Drink 2024-2040

17
Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com, April 2016
Please note that these tasting notes/scores are not intended to be exhaustive and in some cases they may not be the most recently published figures. However, we always do our best to add latest scores and reviews when these come to our attention. We advise customers who wish to purchase wines based simply on critical reviews to carry out further research into the latest reports.