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| | Vintage | 2016 |  Label 1 of 318 
 | | Type | Red | | Producer | Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste (web) | | Variety | Red Bordeaux Blend | | Designation | n/a | | Vineyard | n/a | | Country | France | | Region | Bordeaux | | SubRegion | Médoc | | Appellation | Pauillac | | UPC Code(s) | 000003014608, 007360422800, 087000336971, 097985143167, 3249990033590, 3249990033651, 3277038390350, 3277038397311, 3364420050845, 3364420073011, 3448821805188, 3453521190830, 3453521254839, 3550871213667, 3609050759486, 3609050759684, 3700447713910, 607921030644, 639737620689, 714153226261, 852187003394 |
| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 93.7 pts. and median of 94 pts. in 89 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by ESCO on 3/20/2024 & rated 95 points: Disingenuous ; that's how I feel .
I love this wine and think it great . Renowned palettes, tasters, experiences , preferences far far greater than mine tell me that I am wrong. Honest , but misguided, is my assessment they say. I have compared almost all evaluations of this wine and found it to be judged inferior to several famous wines in the same vintage. For me , outside the 1st growths , which I can neither afford , nor scrounge, this is supreme. Why disingenuous ?
Well, because I should be shouting about the beauty of this wine from the rooftops , not meekly advocating " one should have a sip ".........
This is fantastic , cedar laden , pencil rich , beautifully erotic, classic Pauillac , which if you need to look up what that means defeats so many purposes.... (4462 views) | | | Tasted by preid on 12/14/2023 & rated 93 points: Clear red colour. Pepper, cedar and pencil svavings. Balanced and nice wine. Medium length. Still young with some tannins, but really good wine. (6340 views) | | | Tasted by John McCabe on 12/5/2023 & rated 93 points: Not as stacked and packed as the last couple I had. Maybe it's going through a down phase. (6963 views) | | | Tasted by Kozakofthewest on 10/29/2023 & rated 92 points: Getting a bit better still a bit closed off I would say will open up in a year or 2 , will save my remaining bottles will then. The nose is quite elegant reminding me of Quintessa yet the pallet not there yet. (7723 views) | | | Tasted by SARED on 10/19/2023 & rated 92 points: 91-92 can still feel that sharpness on the finish. Otherwise very classy. (6829 views) | | | Tasted by Winsip on 9/23/2023 & rated 95 points: Slow ox for 4 hrs. So fragrant, so inviting on the nose. Expressively fruit bomb of ripe stawberry, raspberry, blackcurrant, hints of violet, herbal spices. On the palate, juicy, lush, a mix of dense, creamy and bittersweet mouthfeel on mid-palate, smooth texture, beautiful silky soft tannins which is so impressive for a young GPL, sweet spice aftertaste and goes on for 20 sec. Lots of upside potential but so drinkable and delicious today. Just don't expect a fine level of balance and complexity at this stage. A minimum 5 yrs will help come together nicer.
This 2016 is all about charm and liveliness. (6450 views) | | | Tasted by chatters on 8/30/2023: An exploration of Bordeaux - 2016 vintage (Le Pont, Milsons Point): Blackcurrant, cassis, a little violet, sweet spice. Very good quality oak, ripe but controlled fruit, a little plain chocolate. Juicy, fleshy, slightly grainy textured grip is based on both wood and grape, cassis, blackcurrant, a little plum and plain chocolate in support. Yum (7032 views) | | | Tasted by A&C on 8/17/2023 & rated 95 points: After two bottles of wine, we decided to sample a 2016 just to see how they are developing. A 375 ml is perfect for a sample. I think this is going to be a spectacular wine. The underlying fruit is incredible. It has some backbone and some wonderful fruit, and just the right hint of chalk, to turn into something memorable. A great early sample with friends planning our Labor Day camping trip and breaking in my new wine cellar. (6879 views) | | | Tasted by chatters on 6/19/2023: Supper with Daniel (and the girls) (E & M's in the rocks, Sydney): Biscuit, blackcurrant, cream, sweet spice, a little plum, quite puppy fat. Juicy, savoury, black hued fruits, talc textured tannins are present, slightly drying, fruit persists, long, still very primary. Nice. (7919 views) | | | Tasted by pommieba@cox.net on 6/16/2023 & rated 94 points: Stunning classic Pauillac - still young - what will it be like in years to come. Layers of concentrated fruit - Cherry & Red Currant with Cassis and hint of spice. Some Earthy Woody notes. Firm Grippy Tannins that mesh well with Med Acidity. Complex fruity finish with a backbone of Graphite and Stone. (8056 views) | | | Tasted by steko78 on 6/11/2023 & rated 95 points: Epaulé la veille, puis double carafage le matin pour dégustation à 13h. C'est évidemment encore très jeune mais la classe est évidente avec une qualité de tanins remarquable, une allonge et une finesse qui font que mes codégustateurs partent à l'aveugle sur un St Julien, et une belle finale puissante et crayeuse. L'aromatique est classique, cassis, fruits rouges, poivron rouge grillé. Un bel avenir devant lui pour un futur grand vin qui nous (m') enterra. J'attends 7 ans mini pour la suivante. (7221 views) | | | Tasted by Neras on 5/27/2023 & rated 95 points: Lovely wine. Quite tannic, but good acidity and decent fruit to counter it a make it a very interesting and lovely wine for sipping. Probably too young, but nice to try anyway. (7314 views) | | | Tasted by Shrewsram on 5/25/2023 & rated 94 points: 79% Cabernet Sauvignon
21% Merlot
Near opaque appearance.
Great purity immediately. Great clarity and definition next to the 2018, lots of raspberry fruit and an unassuming, almost reserved personality. Ripe, with a lovely perfumed quality, fine salinity, notes of black cherry, almond, fragrant graphite, and cassis.
Medium plus body, juicy and saline frame, notes of wet stone and stimulating, invigorating acidity. Plentiful very fine tannins, this shows a dark fruit focus and lots of spice too. There is a silky, creamy vein, great mineral drive and gorgeous fruit. Expressive, balanced, bright and long. Delicious! Oozes class. (7417 views) | | | Tasted by Gdubya on 4/25/2023 & rated 94 points: Over a couple of nights and a few weeks after trying v15. Red and black fruit, good intensity, good structure. Tannic backbone possibly a touch more noticeable than ‘15. Nice wine with more to come. Not a crime to try one now, but possibly better to wait a few more years. 94-96 (7564 views) | | | Tasted by aaronwine on 3/5/2023 & rated 94 points: Of 3 2016s in a tasting (Leoville Barton and Domaine de Chevalier) I preferred this wine. Well built - still young - long finish. The Leoville was outstanding but this is my jam. (7918 views) | | | Tasted by Wine Lover 916 on 3/4/2023 & rated 93 points: Dark Rudy red dominant with ripe red jammy cherry, pencil lead, damp rock, 말린 고추. 과실향과, 오크숙성의 부산물 아로마는 잘 느껴지는 반면, flower 계열의 아로마는 잘 느껴지지 않는다. 달콤함이 먼저 느껴지고 아직어린 레드계열의 상큼함과 묵직하고 쌉살한 tannin으로 마무리 된다. 피뉘시가 20초 이상은 지속. 좌안의 파워풀함이 있다. Medium to full body. (7432 views) | | | Tasted by KAT9 on 1/21/2023 & rated 94 points: Super balanced from the first sip. Aroma has jasmine tea, floral, and match stick (8416 views) | | | Tasted by chatters on 1/8/2023: Coravin fun - Grand Puy Lacoste (My place, Kent Street): From Coravin. A touch more reticent than the 2015, the fruit present, slightly more baked than compote fruit (again a black hued melange; the plum more in the background behind the currant berry which are joined by a smidge of cherry), plenty of sweet oaky spice is well integrated, more cassis with time, again the palate slightly more jammy and baked than the 2015 but beautifully balanced acid, fruit and tannins; the latter showing talc textured. Medium plus length, nice, young, drops away a little quicker than the 2015 (8838 views) | | | Tasted by dream on 12/26/2022 & rated 92 points: Rather subdued at the moment but really improved with air. Very fine-grained with darkish fruits and authentic Pauillac flavors of smoked gravel and graphite minerals. Smooth, and lighter-bodied with a refined tannic finish that needs more time to resolve. 92+ (7791 views) | | | Tasted by racerchris on 12/25/2022: Decanted and sampled occasionally until it was returned to bottle after about 3 hours as it seemed to have opened up. The rest of the bottle was consumed over the next 3 hours. Well balanced, somewhat understated. Didn't find much intensity or nuance on the nose or on the palate. I'll wait a few years before trying again. (7157 views) | | | Tasted by JimHow on 12/14/2022 & rated 95 points: 2022 Bordeaux Wine Enthusiasts William “Stefan” Johnson Wine of the Year
2016 Château Grand Puy Lacoste
We have always wanted to love Grand Puy Lacoste, even when it has underperformed. I have told the story several times how Nicola and I were at MacArthur’s one afternoon a few years back, in the Bordeaux section. We ran into Phil Bernstein and a discussion ensued about Grand Puy Lacoste. I think it was the 2016 vintage that was on the shelf at that time. Phil made a statement that I felt was spot on: “Grand Puy Lacoste was finally realizing the potential of its terroir.” It had been vastly underperforming its Pauillac pedigree for decades. As I understand it, a daughter took over the winemaking sometime around 2014. I don’t know whether she was involved in the wines that were produced in that great vintage, but it was the first GPL I have enjoyed since the 1995/96 vintages. I don’t think I’ve tried the 2015 vintage but by all accounts it was successful for GPL. Ian recently bought a six pack. And he ranked GPL at the top of his QPR list. I had hoped to try the 2019 vintage but it hasn't hit the shelves up here yet.
I uncorked the 2016 Grand Puy Lacoste during a Zoom dinner a few months ago with the Levys and the Johnsons. It was stunning. Beautiful, classic, just a personification of the rarefied heights that Bordeaux in general and Pauillac in particular achieved during that extraordinary vintage. 2016 is just about everything that a lot of us look for in Bordeaux: Classy, ripe tannins, structure combined with elegance. In the case of GPL from 2016, it was just a personification of classic, structured Pauillac. And the nose was to die for. The color was a deep, rich Pauillac purple… Mouton/Lynch Bages-like. I think I rated it 95 points.
As everyone knows, I have been very hard on Grand Puy Lacoste over the years: Not because I am just being gratuitously mean, but more so out of frustration because we have known the potential that this well-situated Pauillac estate has had, but has seldom realized. I have no agendas. If I think a wine sucks I will say so, if I think it is great I will say so. To me, when it is on, Pauillac is my favorite appellation. And in 2016, Grand Puy Lacoste was “on,” firing on all cylinders. As Phil Bernstein said, “Grand Puy Lacoste is finally reaching its potential.” And that is a good thing for us who love and are so passionate about great northern Medoc Bordeaux.
This selection also celebrates yet again the greatness of the 2016 vintage in general, a truly extraordinary year in Bordeaux.
Welcome home, GPL. Welcome home, old friend.
And so…. In my capacity as the kind and benevolent dictator of Bordeaux Wine Enthusiasts – the best wine website on the internet – I hereby declare the 2016 Chateau Grand Puy Lacoste as the recipient of the 2022 Bordeaux Wine Enthusiasts William “Stefan” Johnson Wine of the Year Award. We welcome it into the pantheon of greatness that comprises our list of past wines of the year.
BWE WINE OF THE YEAR
2000: 1996 Sociando-Mallet
2001: 1989 Lynch-Bages
2002: 1995 d'Yquem
2003: 1999 Haut Brion Blanc
2004: 2000 Pichon Baron and 2000 du Tertre
2005: 2000 Margaux
2006: 2003 Pontet-Canet
2007: 2002 Leoville Poyferre
2008: 2005 Burgundy vintage (protest vote)
2009: 1989 Lafite Rothschild
2010: 2005 Cantemerle
2011: 2008 Leoville Poyferre
2012: 2009 Giscours
2013: 2004 Smith Haut Lafitte
2014: 2010 Chasse Spleen
2015: 2012 Leoville Las Cases
2016: 2012 Barde-Haut
2017: 2014 Calon Segur
2018: 2015 Brane Cantenac
2019: 2016 Tour Saint Christophe
2020: 2016 Leoville Barton and 2008 Dom Perignon
2021: 2014 La Conseillante
2022: 2016 Grand Puy Lacoste
www.bordeauxwineenthusiasts.com (8345 views) | | | Tasted by EricU on 12/13/2022 & rated 94 points: Elegant. Nice acidity and medium weight. Casis, graphite and blueberry. Intoxicating on the nose. Slightly grippy tanins on the finish. Very enjoyable.
Fruits fades by hour 5 and it becomes a much more mineral driven wine. (7011 views) | | | Tasted by Maphill01 on 10/28/2022: Has the stuffing to get much better with time. But today, so primary, lacking complexity. Revisit in 2025+ (7739 views) | | | Tasted by Kozakofthewest on 9/6/2022 & rated 91 points: Decanted 3 hours and on hour 4 started to fade, feel bad for not trying right away .... it has a good ballance but rather subtle and I was expecting alot more. Will try another bottle with less decant and hope it plays out better. I did get a feeling it was a bit closed , maybe need to give it a few more years. (8547 views) | | | Tasted by Jeff Leve on 7/8/2022 & rated 96 points: Cedar, tobacco leaf, blackberry, currants, leafy herbs, and underbrush aromatics open the wine. Interestingly, at the moment, the wine is better on the palate with its non-stop layers of concentrated, ripe, sweet, powerful fruits. There is a rustic purity to the fruits which linger and expand in the finish. This could be the finest vintage of Grand Puy Lacoste ever produced. This is a steal for a Pauillac Classified Growth of this quality! Drink from 2028-2060. (11794 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| By Jancis Robinson, MW
JancisRobinson.com (1/23/2020)
(Ch Grand-Puy-Lacoste Pauillac Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By James Suckling
JamesSuckling.com (1/19/2019)
(Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste Pauillac, Red, France) Subscribe to see review text. | By Antonio Galloni
Vinous, 2016 Bordeaux…It’s All In The Bottle (Jan 2019) (1/2/2019)
(Grand-puy-lacoste Grand-puy-lacoste Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Neal Martin
Vinous, The DBs: Bordeaux 2016 In Bottle (Jan 2019) (1/1/2019)
(Grand-puy-lacoste Grand Puy Lacoste Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Chris Kissack
Winedoctor, December 2018 (12/1/2018)
(Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste Pauillac Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Jancis Robinson, MW
JancisRobinson.com (10/16/2018)
(Ch Grand-Puy-Lacoste Pauillac Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Jane Anson
Decanter, 2016 in bottle (10/7/2018)
(Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste, Pauillac, Bordeaux, France, Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Antonio Galloni
Vinous, 2016 Bordeaux: It’s Now or Never, Baby (Apr 2017) (4/17/2017)
(Grand-puy-lacoste Grand-puy-lacoste Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Jancis Robinson, MW
JancisRobinson.com (4/5/2017)
(Ch Grand-Puy-Lacoste Pauillac Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By James Suckling
JamesSuckling.com (4/4/2017)
(Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste Pauillac, Red, France) Subscribe to see review text. | By Jane Anson
Decanter, Bordeaux En Primeur 2016 Pauillac (4/2/2017)
(Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste, Pauillac, Bordeaux, France, Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Chris Kissack
Winedoctor, April 2017 (4/1/2017)
(Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste Pauillac Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Neal Martin
Vinous, Southwold: 2016 Bordeaux Blind (Aug 2020)
(Grand-puy-lacoste Grand Puy Lacoste Red) Subscribe to see review text. |
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of JancisRobinson.com and JamesSuckling.com and Vinous and Winedoctor and Decanter. (manage subscription channels) |
| Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste Producer website - Read more about Chateau Grand Puy Lacoste
Vineyard mapRed Bordeaux BlendRed Bordeaux is generally made from a blend of grapes. Permitted grapes are Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec and rarely Carménère.Today Carménère is rarely used, with Château Clerc Milon, a fifth growth Bordeaux, being one of the few to still retain Carménère vines. As of July 2019, Bordeaux wineries authorized the use of four new red grapes to combat temperature increases in Bordeaux. These newly approved grapes are Marselan, Touriga Nacional, Castets, and Arinarnoa.
Wineries all over the world aspire to making wines in a Bordeaux style. In 1988, a group of American vintners formed The Meritage Association to identify wines made in this way. Although most Meritage wines come from California, there are members of the Meritage Association in 18 states and five other countries, including Argentina, Australia, Canada, Israel, and Mexico.France Vins de France (Office National Interprofessionnel des Vins ) | Pages Vins, Directory of French Winegrowers | French Wine (Wikipedia)
Wine Scholar Guild vintage ratings
2018 vintage: "marked by a wet spring, a superb summer and a good harvest"
2019 vintage reports
2021: "From a general standpoint, whether for white, rosé or red wines, 2021 is a year marked by quality in the Rhône Valley Vineyards. Structured, elegant, fresh and fruity will be the main keywords for this new vintage."
2022 harvest: idealwine.info | wine-searcher.comBordeaux Bordeaux Wine Guide
Vins Bordeaux (Conseil Interprofessionnel du Vin de Bordeaux)
History of Bordeaux
History of 1855 Bordeaux Classification
"2009 is all about ripeness, with wines impressively packed with ripe fruit and high alcohol levels. They are showy, in-your-face, and full of pleasure. The 2010s have the fruit and alcohol levels of the 2009s, but with a compelling freshness on the finish that balances the fruit and provides a perfect sense of structure." - Ben Nelson
"2016 is a landmark vintage in certain spots of Bordeaux and it should be remembered as one of the most inspired campaigns of the last 40-50+ years." -Jon Rimmerman
"The quality of red Bordeaux in 2016 was universally lauded – although the response to the en primeur campaign was muted. Quantity was high too, with the equivalent of 770 million bottles of wine produced. An exceptionally dry summer with cool nights eventually, thanks to mid September rain, resulted in small, thick-skinned, ripe grapes, and the wines are marked by high tannin and acidity, with superb aromatic fragrance." - Jancis Robinson
"2017 was complicated, but there are some excellent wines. Expect plenty of freshness and drinkability from wines that will offer excellent value, and others that will rival 2016 in terms of ripeness and ageability. But they are likely to be the exception not the rule, making careful selection key." - Jane Anson
"In the past, a vintage such as 2022 may have been overripe, raisined and low in acidity but 2022 had a sneaky little reservoir in its back pocket - a near perfect marriage of cool/cold/rain the previous winter and the previous vintage that literally soaked the soils (a key to why 2022 is not 2003...or 1893)." - Jon RimmermanMédoc Vins du Médoc (Conseil des Vins du Médoc) - Read More about the Medoc
VdB
The eight precisely defined appellations of the whole of the Médoc (from Blanquefort Brook to the north of the Bordeaux built-up area, almost to the Pointe de Grave) may claim the Médoc appellation. But there is also a specific territory in the north of the peninsula which produces exclusively wines with this appellation. In the great majority, the Médocs come from the north of the peninsula. The great individuality of this region is that the number of vines has increased more recently here than elsewhere, apart from a few isolated spots where vines have grown for many years. Today, the size of the small estate has brought about the development of a powerful co-operative movement. Four co-operatives out of five belong to the group called Unimédoc which ensures aging, bottling and marketing a large proportion of their wines.Pauillac Read more detailed information about Pauillac Looking full onto the river from the earliest days, with an important port activity, traces of which go back to ancient times (shipment of bronze as long ago as 2000 B.C.), Pauillac's life has always been intimately linked to the history of wine. Although port activities were at the root of its prosperity, Pauillac had to wait until the eighteenth century when Bordeaux ceased to hold its privileged position to become a wine port. The town then became the natural outlet for the wine production of neighbouring cantons before reaching its zenith in a period when the vineyards were exceptionally prosperous.
The characteristic of the Pauillac terroir is its exceptional relief: the many undulating ridges make it unique morphologically speaking. Highly favourable conditions facilitate the dissection of the layer of gravel. This thin, Garonne gravel from whose very poverty springs great richness, has an extremely effective natural drainage.
With their velvet red colour with a hint of amber, the wines from the Pauillac appellation, full-bodied and rich in tannin, are vigorous. Powerful when young, their aromas of red fruits (black-currant, raspberry) or flowers (violets, roses, irises) melt with the passing of time into a bouquet which is long in the mouth.
Rich and complex, the wines of Pauillac deserve to be laid down for a little longer.
Production conditions (Decree dated November 14, 1936)
In order to have the right to the Pauillac appellation of controlled origin, red wines must:
- come from the commune of Pauillac and from precisely defined parcels in the communes of Cissac, Saint-Julien, Saint-Estèphe and Saint-Sauveur, "excluding the parcels situated on recent alluvium and sand on impermeable subsoils",
- satisfy precise production conditions : grape-varieties (Cabernet-Sauvignon, Cabernet-Franc, Carmenère, Merlot Noir, Petit Verdot, Cot or Malbec), minimum of sugar (178 grammes - 6.27 oz. - per litre of must) degree (an acquired 10°5) base yield (45 hectolitres per hectare). |
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