La Commanderie de Bordeaux à Vancouver - Chateau Grand-Puy-Lacoste Vertical

Bistro Pastis
Tasted Thursday, February 16, 2012 by godx with 961 views

Introduction

While I was going to write an overview of the wines myself, my friend Blair Curtis did a much better job than I could have and his thoughts and impressions are accurate and perfectly align with my own. So here’s what Blair had to say:

"As an overview, I'll say that I was impressed with these wines. We did a similar tasting featuring Lynch Bages last year, but I think the GPL wines showed even better to my palate. That may be a matter of style. Albert Givton spoke and noted that he often mentally divides the wines of Pauillac into camps under the head of the First Growth that exemplifies the style. He said GPL falls into the Latour camp - more classic, big wines, cedary, cigar box, etc. He puts Lynch Bages into the Mouton camp - more exotic, riper, spicier, maybe more New World.

Last night I thought the '82 and '90 were outstanding. The '86 is excellent, but still not mature. The '89 was singing when it first arrived, but faded quickly in the glass. The '83 was fully mature and drinking fine now - not at the quality level of the aforementioned vintages...I'd look to drink these in the near term if I had some cellared. The '96 was a pleasant surprise - it was one of the better wines. And still showed some traditional winemaking and style.

The final flight was '99, '01 and '03. Honestly I would not buy any of these. In keeping with other Bdx verticals I've done, I note a change in the style of the wines after 1996. People at our table mentioned "Parkerization". The post-'96 wines certainly seemed to be more "international" in style, lacking some of the Bdx character/typicity/distinctiveness that is evident in tasting the earlier wines. Most preferred the '03 in this flight, as it may have potential. It is freaky and large, but has some good material underneath. It might age into something worthy. The '99 is disappointing and lacks any punch. The '01 is boring and not a great GPL."

Flight 1 (1 Note)

With Smoked Salmon Blinis, Mushroom and Goat Cheese Crepe, Albacore Tuna Tartar...

Flight 2 (3 Notes)

With Duck Confit and Chestnut Tortellini, Du Puy Lentils, Golden Beets...

  • 1982 Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste 93 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

    Decanted 45min prior to serving. Medium red with hints of bricking. This nose screamed classic Pauillac with notes of cedar, cassis, blackcurrants and cigar box. In the mouth this has the sweetest fruit and the most depth of the flight and was perfectly balanced. The tannins are soft and for the most part resolved. Smooth and soft mouthfeel with nicely balanced acidity and medium to long finish. This wine had some elegance to it that was really nice. This is really good to drink now and should hold for many years. Outstanding.

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  • 1983 Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste 89 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

    Decanted 45min prior to serving. Light to medium red with bricking throughout. This offered the most development on the nose in this flight with lots of cedar, pencil shavings, soft dark fruits and hints of green tobacco. In the mouth it lacked the weight the depth of the 82 and 86, but showed quite a bit of finesse and femininity. Fully mature with gritty yet subtle tannins and developed fruit this is drinking perfectly now and I don’t see any upside to further cellaring. Very enjoyable but not at the level of the other two wines in this flight. Very good.

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  • 1986 Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste 90 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

    Decanted 45min prior to serving. Medium red. Most youthful looking wine of the flight. At first the nose here had quite a bit of greenness to it but after 20-30min in the glass more classic notes of cigar box, cassis and blackcurrants. This nose was the fruitiest with the least amount of development and that carried onto the palate where this was masculine, structured and showing quite youthfully. Tannins are firm and grippy with acidity to match with dense dark fruit flavours, hints of oak and a long finish. I would leave this for another 5 years or so. Excellent. 90+

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Flight 3 (3 Notes)

With Braised Veal Cheeks, Chard, Crispy Polenta, Sultana Grape Jus...

  • 1989 Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste 89 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

    Decanted 45min prior to serving. Medium red with slight bricking at the rim. Right off the bat this nose was very forward with gobs of dark fruit and hints of wood and earth. In the mouth flavours of currants, plums and tobacco with decent structure and a medium length finish. This was drinking very well at first, but then about 30min later started fading in the glass. Fruit seemed to fade leaving a slightly austere wine on both the nose and palate and fruit forward nature long gone. This was really great to drink at first but by the end of the night this became the least enjoyable wine in this flight. Very good.

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  • 1990 Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste 93 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

    Decanted 45min prior to serving. Medium red. The nose here rivaled the 82 for the nose of the night with beautiful Bordeaux funk and classic Pauillac notes of cassis, blackcurrants, pencil lead, cedar and after some time in the glass, hints of herbaceous notes. Soft and velvety on the palate with a weightier mouthfeel and firm structure. The fruit here is dense and pure with the perfect amount of ripeness. This is a really complete wine that’s offering a lot of pleasure right now but undoubtedly has many years of development ahead. When this wine hits its 30th birthday I would guess that it will be even better than the ‘82 was tonight. Outstanding. 93+

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  • 1996 Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste 91 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

    Decanted 45min prior to serving. Medium to deep red. This started off somewhat shy on the nose not giving up too much so I focused on the 89 and 90 and when I came back to this 20-30min later it had opened up quite a bit with aromas of leather, cassis, blackberries and a gravel/crushed rock note that was very nice but also unique to this vintage. In the mouth this was young and tannic with lots of structure but ample fruit to match. Lots of power here and masculine in style. This was surprisingly enjoyable to drink given how youthful it was showing and has the potential to be outstanding, just needs 5+ years. Excellent. 91+

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Flight 4 (3 Notes)

With Roasted Venison en Croute, Porcini Mushroom Duxelle, Butternut Squash, Cippoloni Brussels Sprout Leaves, Red Wine Sauce...

  • 1999 Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste 86 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

    Decanted 45min prior to serving. Medium to deep red. Decent nose but one that doesn’t show much Bordeaux typicity with notes of dark fruits and hints of wood. Not showing much development on the nose but in the mouth this was fairly soft with medium weight and easy-going structure. Pleasurable to drink but lacks Bordeaux distinctiveness. Good.

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  • 2001 Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste 86 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

    Decanted 45min prior to serving. Medium to red. This was similar to the ‘99 in its ordinary profile but did show some hints of ‘place’ with notes of blackcurrants and cedar, but still lacked the classic nuances that the pre-’96 wines showed. This, along with the ’99 and ’03 all seem to be more ‘internationally’ styled which is sad to see. Good.

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  • 2003 Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste 88 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

    Decanted 45min prior to serving. Medium to red. This had the ripest nose of the night with noticeable amount of coconut oak along with blackberries and dark plums. An outlier in this flight (and the entire tasting for that matter) but most people agreed this was the best in this flight and although it’s rich, heavy and ripe, has the materials to perhaps mature into something pretty decent. Has lots of fruit and fairly solid structure. Very good. 88+

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Flight 5 (1 Note)

With Grand Marnier Souffle, vanilla Crème Anglaise, Blood Orange Sorbet...

  • 1986 Château Climens 92 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Barsac

    Medium gold colour. Beautiful nose of saffron, pineapple, honey and cinnamon with a rich and viscous mouthfeel. Solid acidity keeps it fresh on the long finish with flavours of apricot and creme brulee. Really well balanced and defined. Fine to drink now but has decades of life ahead. Excellent. 92+

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