This is a 15 years old Pauillac. It took one hour to open up. Aromas of old leather, tobacco and coffee . Dark red and smooth at taste . A pleasant Pauillac which pair with strong cheese and food.
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Still drinking very young but with great balance and freshness. Tons of tightly woven fruit, ripe tannins and early stage tertiary notes. This will be very good in 5 years and keep for a long time.
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Substantially improved or just a better bottle compared to 6 months and a year ago. Comes into its own and drank well over the course of dinner and for a few hours after that. This was really complete, well integrated and enjoyable. Didn't decant this one which may have helped.
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Hovering around that 93-94 pts range at current age, a really nice wine. Benefited from about 30 minutes in the glass and gained a lot more nuance with air. Great mix of power and finesse. Complimented the course (Ryuzu in Roppongi) very well and was best priced option on their wine list (impressive list).
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Excellent! Hour or so decant and it was singing. Very well balanced: Terroir, Tannins & Fruit, everything comes together here. Add in a bit of leather, very mild tobacco and you have an excellent wine
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Dekantert. 4 år siden sist, og vesentlig bedre, man langt unna sitt potensiale. Pent og pyntelig, men ikke mer. Vent 2 år med neste. Siste tredjedel dag 3, og kommet virkelig til seg selv, og der jeg håpa den ville være. Balanse, ingenting stikker ut, herlig!
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Clear medium garnet with medium + flavors of fresh and dry,blackberry , black currants.secondary and tertiary notes of tobacco, chocolate, leather, creamy texture, forest floor and nutmeg. The wine is dry with medium + acidity, medium tannins, alcohol and body. The intensity is medium + and the finish is long. The quality is outstanding and it can be drunk now with potential for aging a bit further.
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2 hour decant. Nose: Complex aromas of tobacco, graphite, cassis, fresh flowers and earth. Unreal! Palate: Perfect balance of dark fruits, graphite, pencil lead and an amazingly long balanced finish. Unreal good and one of the best Bordeaux wines I’ve had in quite some time! Went perfect with filet mignon. 94+ points.
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Decanted shortly before dinner. This is really drinking well now, but might still improve and plenty of time left. Nice complexity on the nose and palate. Really great mouthfeel.
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Still has some years ahead of it. Very young to the taste. Still evolving after 5-6 hour decant. Has the nice energy of a cab from France. Still quite grippy tannins. Sharp stewed berries, cassis, saddle leather, and drying tobacco on the nose. Medium full body. But nice length and mouth coating. Try in 2-3 or more years. Or decant 6-8 hours. Tried with braised ribs, good, But much better with lamb!!!!!!
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Blind tasted with Leoville Barton 2003 and Rauzan-Segla 2015. One step behind them, a little bit disappointing for a 2009 vintage. Very closed in the beginning, needed time but still never got the a high level. No complexity, medium finish, just OK.
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2nd bottle in 6 months both from the same case. Find this wine to be just ok with a very stewed profile to the fruit that I don't care for. Seems to improve with 30-45 minutes in the decanter but then falls apart fairly quickly after that. Not my cup of tea.
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Opened 2009 and 2010 GPL side by side. Both wines double decanted for about 45 min in the morning and then stood upright in the wine fridge until dinner. Unlike the 2010 which is a bit muted upon pulling the cork, the 2009 shows a lot of oak upon opening. Over dinner, the oak is integrated but overall my impression from last bottle 2 years ago is confirmed. The 2009 is another nice, very open knit medium bodied left bank Bordeaux, not particularly Pauillac and in my eyes clearly behind the 1996, 2000 and 2005 GPL. Good wine but I can get a similar experience when opening say 2009 La Lagune. The 2010 which I have not had since the UGC tasting 10 years ago, is showing significantly better than the 2009. Layered deep dark fruit, iron, more concentration and weight here, this is now a top Pauillac in my book. 2009: 92. 2010 94-95.
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Reminiscent of the 1982 at the same age this wine opens with a deep dark crimson colour and a rich nose of cassis, raspberry, dark chocolate, cedar and oyster shell. The palate is full and luscious with a mouthful of rich dark fruits backed with a wall of fine grained tannins and a lovely mineral austerity that goes on and on. There's nothing stewed or overdone in these bottles and I suspect we will be enjoying a glorious developed nose and spherical balanced fruit like the 82 at the end of this decade.
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Beautiful Bordeaux wine! Dark berry fruit (dark cherry, currant, cassis) with cedar, leather, and dark chocolate. Opened the bottle 1 hr before drinking and continued to taste better throughout the night. Still has some grippy tannins and med acidity. Med+ finish - best wine of the night that we tried.
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I disagree with those saying that it's at peak and won't improve. There's still plenty of structure and grip and fruit to give this some runway to develop more complexity. Is it brooding and monolithic and backwards? No, it's lovely to drink, especially after 60 mins ina decanter. But it's hardly becoming geriatric. Will it live forever? Also no. Probably 5-10 more years?
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All right, I was right the first time round. A great wine betrayed by an overblown and superficial vintage, whose wines possess a style that is the result of a very influential American wine critic and global warming.
Claret needs backbone: it needs tannin. Recent wines are being produced for a market that wants its wines now. But this is not how Claret works.
2010, I think, will be a better vintage. I countenance patience and old age.
All right. I was wrong. But I do not detract my observations on the 2009 vintage, which has produced superficial lackluster big fruit wines. The latter is what we wanted after the thin lissies of preceding vintages. And I suspect that the producers changed their style to follow Parker. But left-bank claret needs a bit of bite to it, otherwise it is too fat in the mouth.
This wine is delicious. That is its problem.
vide.
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Took around an hour to blow off and allow the wine to really come out. Notes of currants on the aroma with cedar box, oak -and vanilla. Taste matched the aroma exactly. Body was medium with medium to medium plus smooth tannins. This wine was all finesse with very little fruit at this point. Drink this now
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2009: what a dreadful vintage. It was hyped up to be the saviour after a series of bad Claret vintages. I bought a lot, as did everyone else. But this is not true claret: it has no backbone or structure: you might as well be drinking Napa Valley.
It is ascetic, understated and it hides its fruit. This is a happy happy wine. I don't for happiness in my drinking of fine wine; I look for an intellectual engagement
The good news is that the 2008s are getting better and better.
One requires patience and a sense for duration.
Vide.
The latter may be the same as the former.
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Initially reductive, took an hour for the sulfur to go away. Cassis, cedarbox, leather and vanilla on the aroma and palate. Acidity is medium, bordering on medium low. Tannins are medium-plus with a medium-fine sandpaper character that coats and drys out the mouth. Body is medium/medium-plus. Overall, I enjoy the wine, but for my taste, it’s still good, but it’s a little past it’s prime.
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This bottle aged so perfectly. Stunning wine with layers upon layers of secondary and tertiary notes. Can’t stop smelling the wine and smiling like an idiot. Wow.
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Pop and pour, and followed over 2 days. My ultimate impression at the moment is that this is big and ripe, and ultimately of the rather anonymous international style that seemed to dominate its era. Nose showed mostly dark fruits and oak--plums, blueberries, a slight streak of blackcurrant highlight the just-on-the-edge of raisinated fruit profile, with plenty of vanilla, mocha and wood. Hints of pencil shavings tried to poke through, but never quite seemed to last.
The palate is full-bodied and tannic. Again, it's a big and ripe wine, and not particularly fresh. Oak still very present.
At the moment, not really my style of Bdx. The optimist in me hopes this is just an awkward-teen years phase, but I'm definitely a skeptic. Will try one more bottle in a few years to see if it's improved.
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Needed 60 minutes in a decanter to come around and it did very well. Tannic at first but got very smooth within 60 mins. Loads of black, blue and red fruits; some cassis, sweet Oak and graphite. 20 second finish.
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Served blind, I guess a 2007 Napa valley floor cabernet blend. It is a little candied/lightly confected with sweet fruit and a little sun kissed fig/raisin. It did not come off as overly roasted and in fact, I thought it was a pretty good drink, even if not what I want in a top vintage Bordeaux. It will be interesting to follow these 09s as they mature. I’m more nervous about that than excited at this point.
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Very fragrant bouquet, ripe blue and black fruits, toasted clove and aniseed with fermented beans, gravel and barnyard. Palate echoed the nose. Rich and deep full-bodied mid-palate from entry to finish. Nice transition to a mineral and leathery finish. Ready to drink now with an hour of decanting. Will continue to age for the next 3-5 years.
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This wine is 14 years old and Mid to dark red with sub tons of purple. Vibrant and alive . Light aromas after two hours decant. Young leather, round, smooth and short dry finishing. It Has not change substantial from 2 years ago.
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Decanted 3.5 hours. Soft magenta purple, long slow legs, on 👃 earthy first with dry forest floor, graphite, cinnamon , charcoal, orange peel, dark cherries, leather. Medium dry, quite milky, medium grippy frontal tannins, throat burn (med/high acidity), juicy cherries & blackberries. Very aromatic, tasty wine. Beautiful now but could get better.
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Pop and pour. Drinking very well right now. Soft charcoal, cedar, blackberry. On the palate: good acidity, charcoal, soft blackberry, garrigue, soft tannin on the juicy finish. My style of BDX.
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Cellartracker in the flesh with Pjaines (Paul), Porkandsalmon (Richard) and Vintomas (Tomas) (Various venues, London): blackcurrant, sous bois, slight leather, earth, slight alcohol prickle, a little almost raisined note but, contrariwise, a little green herbaceousness. Medium plus intensity acidity, tightly textured tannins, savoury black fruit, a slight liquorice note, palate better than the nose but a bit of alcohol warmth on the finish throws this out of balance for me.
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Monthly Tuesday group "The Dead Sparrow";Bordeaux 2009 vs 2010 (By JS): Beautiful dark berries, graphite, sweet spices and cedar in the bouquet. On the palate dark berries, graphite, licorice, laurel and chocolate. Beautiful acidity and round tannin. Full bodied, yet delicate and elegant. Beautiful wine with a good length. Very young maturity stage now and a great pleasure already.
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2 hour decant wasn’t enough - I think this will be better down the road - nose was dense & enjoyable but the wine was still a bit overpowering in the mouth
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Seems like it is aging quickly. Soft tannins, ripe fruit, medium bodied. Enjoyed the flavors; but does not quite have the structure of a typical GPL. Drink over the next few years.
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Decanted in temp controlled cellar for 3 hours. Wine totally integrated. No facet overwhelmed another. Velvet tannins, juicy acidity, black and blue fruit, bell pepper, and spices. Amazing quality for the price.
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Monthly Tasting Group HWS: Bordeaux 2005 vs 2009 (by DJ): In the beautiful bouquet red and dark berries, some green impressions like green bell pepper. On the palate juicy dark berries, some spiciness, laurel, graphite and beautiful, round acidity and tannin.
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An easy afternoon with close friends; Pauillac and Pessac (@ My place): Beautiful bouquet with sweet spices and lovely oak and cedar. On the palate a great concentration and body with ripe dark berries, sweet licorice, beautiful acidity and round tannin and a pleasant touch of sweetness. After three days open at room temperature the wine hardly showed any decline. Great stuff and easily the winner beside the 2005 and 2008. Wait a few more years might be wise.
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I think this will be fine, but I'm not sure when... To be honest I was a little underwhelmed and perhaps guilty of expecting the 2009 fireworks with which this vintage is hyped. It's like trying to get a lazy child out of bed. The nose needs lots of coaxing and many swills in the glass before the typical Pauillac cedar, black fruit and lead pencil come through, and on the palate it's attractive, but one dimensional, unexciting and not significantly better after a lengthy airing. I didn't detect masses of tannin, so it's not certain to be masses better in 10yrs+. Puzzling.
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Gang of 4 in Covid19 times; Pauillac: The bouquet is still completely locked. Also on the palate the wine is still locked, but there are dark berries, vanilla from the oak, good acidity and sticky tannin. Good length. The wine holds a promise and will probably improve over the next decade. 93+ for today.
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Decanted only for 1 hour. Not enough time. After tasting a handful of 2009 Pauillac’s; I’m of the mind that 2009 Margaux’s are more approachable at this time. It did finally open up at the last pour. It does have upside, and I will hesitate opening the other bottles (and 2009 Pauillac’s for that matter) until later. Does have beautiful, Cabernet deliniation that is not overripe. Tannins are there, but there’s elegance too. Altogether very well constructed; but I do think this Pauillac is in winter dormancy. Wait
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Double decanted two hours. Drank over two hours. This is a work horse Pauillac. Full, ripe red and black fruits delivered with sublime acidity that nearly mirrors the acidity of the human palate. This is not a blockbuster wine of concentration. Nor is it a wine that is really ready to consume. Sure, it’s approachable now, but there is enough tension hidden behind the well balanced tannin, acidity, and fruit that it’s easy to dismiss this wine as boring. My hunch is that this is a wonderful GPL in a dumb phase, and it’s so easy drinking now that this phase seems incomprehensible as “dumb.”
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Decanted 3 hours ahead and drank over another 3. Beautiful bouquet of graphite and pencil shavings mixed in with lovely floral bouquet. Great price point.
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Classic somewhat rustic nose with graphite, pencil lead, chalky dark fruit with the slightest amount of heat and transparency. Palate is attractive and approachable, with sweet red fruit and a touch of alcohol but not hugely delineated at this time. Could benefit from a few more years in the bottle and likely has some upside.
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Hmm… 3rd or 4th bottle from an OWC. This is a solid Bordeaux but if you are expecting something special, you will not get it here and now. Decanted for 30 min and drank over the following 2h. Am a big GPL fan and had to check my own notes on some of the older great Bordeaux/GPL vintages (like 96/00/05). Closest I have tried in terms of age is the 05 in 2017, and that was really a remarkable Pauillac at age 12 which I rated at 94. The 09 is right right now more in the 91-92 range with a medium body of dark and red fruit, some toast and fine but somewhat sandy tannins. Short to medium finish. I am sure this can improve another point or two, and I was equally sceptical re some of the 2000 Bdx vintages (and quite a few did turn out really well) but I would be really, really amazed if this would turn into a truly great Pauillac with more bottle age.
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Beautiful and luxurious bouquet with creamy red berries and butter. On the palate creamy red fruits, blue berries, some ripe bell pepper, chocolate, fresh acidity, round tannin and a pleasant touch of sweetness.
Friday Night Brown Bagger (R&R's): Double blind. Dark fruit and herbal notes dominate the bouquet. Red fruit flavors on the palate with a slightly sweet edge. Develops a perfumey floral note under the red fruit notes. (R&D)
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Not as open as the excellent bottle consumed in May last year. Great aromatics still and lovely concentration of pure blue fruits but the oak is protruding a bit leaving an aftertaste of burnt toast. I suspect this is still a bit too young. JL suggests leaving these until 2024 which I think is spot on.
Day 2. After 24 hrs in the fridge (and warmed back up to room temperature) this was much better. Oak much more integrated and a more pleasant experience all round. Reinforces my opinion that this is simply too young. Phew.
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Tasting notes from the 2nd day after opening. The bottle was decanted yesterday for one hour, then tasted and followed for 10 hrs. The remainder was returned to the bottle and the cork replaced. Today the wine has calmed down. There is no aroma to speak about, but the acidity is also substantially diminished and the wine more balanced. All in all a pleasant, if unexciting Bordeaux today.
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From pristine bottles, purchased ex-chateau in 2018. I’ve now had this wine twice within the last 3 years with similar disappointment on both occasions. Decanted for 1 hour and drunk through the evening. The wine was deep purple with no bricking. The aromas held promise while decanting, but were not impressive once in the glass. Predominantly blue fruits, medium tannins and acidic, with a fleshy mouthfeel. Subdued fruit and limited secondary flavors. Tannic and alcoholic finish. The wine quickly became flabby at room temperature (70 degrees F) and had to be cooled to regain lift. After 10 hours, it did not settle down. Instead, the acidic profile became more dominant. I poured the rest back into the bottle and will re-taste it a day later. For my palate, this wine needs another 10 years. Given the level of fruit it’s shown so far, I would expect it to develop into a classic and restrained Pauillac, perhaps deserving a low 90’s score. Not impressive, open or exciting as my memories of the 1982. I have a few bottles left, but sadly wouldn’t be buying anymore.
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Seemed a bit tannic on opening so we decanted it. However the structure somehow fell apart after an hour or so in the decanter so on balance we preferred it before decanting. Mellow, balanced, rich.
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My last of these. From a half bottle. This shows the house style - classic Paulliac notes with some graphite and creme-de-casis. Extensive on the palate, very attractive. There is a freshness here that one might think this is the '10 vintage instead of the '09.
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Interesting experience. I suspected the wine might be corked for a little bit, the initial oak vaguely resembled a damp cellar, but it didn't get worse and it didn't dominate, so I'm far from sure - I'd give it a 5% probability of some taint. The wine was enjoyable in any case. It's structured around dark oak, savoury acid and mild black fruit, with vaguely earthy notes and a long persistent cedar aftertaste with perhaps some balsamic notes. Mild tannins and they don't get much stronger or smoother with air. Quite acidic but hides it fairly well. There are many flavours when washed around in the mouth, mostly indistinct herbal notes and possibly some licorice. It's a deep wine, mature, but also subtle - it's not bold enough to put up against too many strong flavours. Best savoured on its own.
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Open a second bottle the following day. My experience is completely different from the first bottle. I opened it 2 hours ahead. But the wine tasted acidic throughout, no other discernible development. Don't like
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Tasted over the course of 2 days. Initially bit closed then opening up. Colour a deep ruby, medium (+) intensity with plum, raspberry, cassis, violets, earthy, leather, slight herbaceous notes which faded over time, tertiary notes appeared later when the wine had evolved. All nicely integrated now but still enough acidity and tannin to allow for a long life ahead. @finewine.explorer
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PnP over 2.5 hours. Started off medium body, lively and drying tannin. More cedar than fruit. About 45 min in had with filet mignon and twice baked potato. Tannins were smoothed by the fat from dinner and a little Anise showed through. Last hour there is plenty of dryness from the tannin. Great with food, a little tannic otherwise. Plenty of life left. Probably drink until 2040.
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Graphite, black currant, dark fruit, some tobacco. Dense, deep, fleshy yet with some freshness and the nice structure and tannins are well balanced and with a great texture feel to them. Length is medium though. 89-90
Mine crayon, cassis, fruits noirs, tabac. Belle densité et texture qui va avec une certaine fraîcheur et des tannins soyeux et agréables. Très bon malgré une longueur moyenne.
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11 years old bottle delicious and getting better. Mid to dark red with sunbtons of purple. Vibrant and alive . Light aromas after two hours decant. Young leather, round, smooth and short dry finishing.
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First bottle from an OWC bought on release. Tried a small glass upon opening and then decanted for about 1h. Unlike the recently tried 09 Pontet Canet, this does not really require a long decant as the wine is open and accessible from the moment you pull the cork. Medium bodied and well balanced with dark fruit and some pencil lead, already a touch of tobacco and leather, fully integrated tannins. Long finish. Excellent GPL and as of now certainly at par with the 100 pointer Pontet Canet but I am not convinced this is head and shoulders above the 96/00/05 GPL which is what one would have thought based on the raving reviews of the 09s en primeur.
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Opened it for my birthday dinner. Decant 3 hours prior. Paired with cold angelhair topped with raw Hokkaido scallop and uni, prawn tartar (not recommenced with Bordeaux wine) with caviar and ravioli stuffed burrata topped with shaved truffle. Boy this wine is bold... with black fruit, oak, pencil shave, cigar and licorice all coming together. Tannin is still dominant but acceptable. Well balanced of acidity with structure. Definitely drinking period as of now. I reckon peak in another 3-5 years
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Very nice, but with blacker fruit and softer tannins than I expected, and little in the way of tobacco or bell pepper nuances at this age. Must be the ripe vintage. I enjoyed this but thought it a poor value at the going rate of a bill. Lost a lot of energy on day 2, not encouraging for the long run.
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Opened based on the recent notes and not disappointed at all. Nicely integrated and lively. Restrained and food friendly. Not quite secondary but in a great place; drank with and without food and spooned over lemon gelato (!). Go for it
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This is a beauty now. No decanting needed, decorked it two hours before drinking. Floral and subtle perfume. Tannins softened. A classic Pauillac in mouth with a delicate pencil touch. It may live for ten to fifteen years more but it’s more than ready to enjoy now. Considering its price I would say this is a good suggestion of a 2009 to taste now.
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Served blind. Coolish pencil-lead nose. Nice acidity, quite classic. Mouthwatering, moreish, pretty long with sweet red fruit on the finish. Tannins are still present, but fine and not obtrusive - at the start of its window. Really nice wine.
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Dinner at Jade Palace. No detailed notes. Hard to go wrong with a competent producer from a great vintage. Concentrated ripe fruits and well structured. Doesn’t quite reach the heights of fellow Pauillac producers Pichon Baron and Pontet Canet 2009s (tasted some months back) but very enjoyable nonetheless.
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Tasted at The Wine Society's Bordeaux tasting, London. Rusty ruby colour, slight orangeness. Lovely rich nose, blackcurrants. Classic Pauillac palate, young, rich, full. This wine undoubtedly has huge potential and probably needs 8-10 years to reach its peak. But it's great now if you can't wait.
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Still holding on to its youth, this is clearly a great vintage for Grand Puy Lacoste. Reserved, and showy, although it is a bit more restrained than flamboyant, the wine is full-bodied, concentrated, rich, ripe and fleshy. The red fruits are sweet, bright and generous on the palate and in the finish. Give this another 5 years or so and enjoy it over the next 20 years after that!
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Ramat-Aviv Boys meeting (at my home): medium-deep ruby pronounced aromas intensity of roasted plums, dry ripe black cherries, raspberries, cranberries, oak-vanilla, forest floor, eucalyptus, mint, black tea, leather; developing; dry, high acidity, med+ tannins, med abv (13.5%), full body, pronounced flavours intensity consistent with the aromas, long finish; outstanding! can drink now - suitable for further aging
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Delicious, better than before - so much sweet creme-de-casis, black fruit, so much lift and decadence. I had this standing upright in my cabinet for a few days - maybe it helped settle it. What a lovely treat.
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A better wine than the example last night, for this still shows a raspberry and redcurrant character but now it's inflected with cassis, pencil, and a touch of cedar. Much more classical than the prior example. Nice grip on the palate, supple in the style of 09 but not at all hot or over-worked. Finishes well. Very good indeed.
The 2009 GPL is an interesting wine - in this vertical, it shows slightly atypically in its feminine nature. Plush, rosy nose, full of currant but actually quite elegant. A little spirity on the palate perhaps, but in a kirsch way rather than showing any untoward heat. Doesn't seem destined for a particularly long life, but perhaps it's just the bottle, the time, or the decanting time for the particular bottle. Curious to get at this again soon.
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Youthful ruby purple. Indistinct nose of tea leaves, a hint of cigar box and just a tad gamey. On the palate this is rich, thick and concentrated but never jammy or over ripe. Just lovely ripe fruit and sandy tannins - there's something distinctly Napa about this. Just a bit of charred oak protruding on the finish but overall, absolutely delicious. Ready now but clearly has years ahead.
Went online and ordered a case after the first glass. This is right up my street.
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By now this bottle is 10 years old. Medium to dark red, it has few legs going down quickly. Licorice and others aromas that I am not capable of identifying. Smooth and round with a slight long dry finishing. All in all a Great Pauillac !
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Spices, wet forest floor, liquorice aroma, then opening up to an espresso and vanilla bouquet. Initial black fruits, tar, gravel and peppers palate with a slight cheesy tertiary. Finish of liquorice but not long. Velvety and rounded; full bodied. This is rather direct without much depth and complexity. Open now and good for many years ahead.
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This has improved a bit over time, showing pretty well now. Has creme de casis, nice black fruit. Will benefit from more time though - not one of the more accessible of the '09 vintage.
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Popped cork and drank 5 hours later. NIce texture, but lackluster fruit here - the midpalate tasted like day old coffee. Maybe more time or a decant, but this was disappointing. 88
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Perfect ripeness of dark fruits. Tannic and structured and not overdone. Rather full and rich for a GPL at this stage with very fine tannins. Delicious already but will improve. 92+
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45+ minute decant and that was perfect. Definitely has years left in it, but not as many as you would think. Classic Bordeaux nose. Wine is filled with tar, graphite, cherry, and smoke. Medium plus finish. More power than I would have expected, but quite lovely.
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PnP notes before a decant: Nice sweet cedar and tobacco, dark ripe blackberry, even a little floral. Texture is very plush and silky. Medium to full in body. Finishes with a spicy kick.
After a ~3 hour decant the nose actually seemed to close down a bit, but a big swirl brought it back out again.
I think the component that stood out most to me about this bottle was the texture.
94 Dunkles Rot. Trinke relativ selten Bordeaux,aber dieser gefällt mir doch sehr gut. Viel Tabakkiste,schöne dunkle Fruchtnoten,sehr Tief,balanciert,leicht prägend,erdig,langer dunkelfruchtiger Abgang. Klar noch sehr jung aber trotzdem schön zu trinken,einfach ein paar Stunden vorher öffnen,verschliesst sich auch nicht.
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This was opened for a friend's birthday and I went into this wine quite biased - GPL has been one of my favourite Chateau and I thoroughly enjoyed this bottle despite it was opened at a restaurant as a BYOB and lacked any form of decanting or even time. Still, quintessentially Pauillac at a budget, great complexity, fine tannins. Birthday boy was happy as was I. Couldn't help but think that in a better setting with more time and glassware, this should drink even better.
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Unmistakely good Bordeaux. Still too young and a little rough. Evolved significantly in the glass but was never a close match to the Sassicaia 2009 it was matched with.
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What a wonderful bottle ! Expressive nose of black and red fruit ,crème de cassis,exotic spices,blond tobacco and some floral notes.A palate with laser precision and rich fruit,impeccably balanced with silky smooth tannins,freshness and grip.If you like your wine young,this is beautiful.The depth and intensity were there without overextracting the wine.I love this wine and I love GPL in great years.
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PNP Great wine from the start. Excellent transitions. Starts with fruit, next hour is leather and forest, last hour is hint of tobacco and lots of coffee. Well rounded nose, a bit light on the mouth feel, but really elegant wine. Plum skin, tobacco, and coffee on the nose. Hint of vanilla on the nose. Flavors are coffee, red berry, red currant, sour cherry, good 20 second finish. Sharp tastes. Great cost performance, and drinking very nicely right now. Young but enjoyable. Tannins are not too crazy.
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Brought this to our regular year end wine session at Summer Palace, Ritz-Carlton Hotel.
Decanted for 4 hours prior to serving. Far from ready, in my humble opinion. Dark purple in colour with notes of violets, blueberries, and rosewood. Heavy on the body with a sharp, razor like focus. Some wild mushrooms and dried, crushed herbs on the mid-palate.
This wine exhibits great potential which is not revealing at this stage. The tannins are highly evident at this stage, layering the velvet-like texture and silky finish.
Highly restrained and reserved, do consider giving it another 5 to 10 years before opening the next bottle.
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From 375. While a bit young, was drinking beautifully. Redcurrant and cedar dominated the nose, with some additional earthy notes found on the palate. The tannins were present and the fruit restrained, but clean, together very balanced. Very excited to try again with some additional time in bottle, but quite nice already.
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A corked magnum (at a restaurant, at least). Underneath the flaw was a forward and approachable wine evidencing a creaminess I tend to like in GPL, despite its young age.
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Good clarity, dense opaque inky purple color. The smells are cedar box, currant, blackberry, soy, herbs and earthy notes. The tastes are cedar, vanilla, dill, blackberry, currant, soy, tea leave, and earth. The wine is complex, with some heat on the backside. The tannins are furry and velvety and firm.
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This bottle of chateau Gran-Puy-Lacoste, from Padillac is by bow 8 years old. Medium red and tons of purple is clear with a rim filling the glass . Round, sub due tannins, aromas of wild open field with berries and flowers. It deserves a 93 RP scale of 80 to 100.
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From magnum. Tasted along side the St Julien Lagrange from the same year, this was far less flamboyant at this stage, and I felt it a little closed, particularly on the nose. Blackberry, earth and violets, this was very long but at this stage didn't have the complexity of the Lagrange. I suspect this needs a full decade before it begins to really strut it's stuff. I certainly wouldn't touch for at least five years.
Comparer à Pontet-Canet bu la semaine derniere, je trouve celui-çi plus profond et plus en finesse. J'ai bcp apprécié ce vin et j'ai hâte de le comparer ce soir à plusieurs autres bordeaux
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Bien heureux d'avoir bu Pontet-Canet 2008 la veille, je peux comparer et je me suis rendu compte que je préfère la finesse de Lacoste. Les tannins sont fins, en bouche on a des fruits rouges pas encore confituré, de la truffe, de l'anis étoilé, du cèdre, légèrement boisé. J'ai adoré cette bouteille. C'est à acheter.
4/5
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Bought this almost four years ago to the day at Zachys for what was probably too much (just the wrong side of $100). Anyway, I know it was probably too young to open it, but it was New Year's, so what the hell. Very happy we did. It will certainly get better over the next 10-15 years, but it was already delicious when decanted 5 hours before serving. Very classic Pauillac, with a slight sweetness of fruit (in Left Bank BDX context!) that was not unwelcome. Incredibly suave, with a lot of surety and quite a long finish. This was marvelous on Day 1 and Day 3 (skipped Day 2 to finish other bottles). Will age will for sure, but don't be afraid to open and try if you have a few bottles.
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Blackberry, blueberry, hints of cigar and even cinnamon; smooth, rounded, long-lived, touch of spicy; obviously a little young; well structured but not overly interesting
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93+. Drank surprising well with a bit of a decant. Red licorice on the nose. Bright fruits, red currants, strawberry. Really beautiful wine. Drank together with 10' GPL and this was much more open for business.
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Hard to judge this baby amidst all these mature classics. The nose is really garish with almost sickly sweet ripeness and stewed fruit. The palate is much more restrained and has good stuffing. I will hide my bottles away for 10-15 years and hope this develops like the '82.
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2009 Bordeaux tasting (at my home): uncorked 10 hours prior to tasting dark opaque red-purple with black tones excellent dark fruits nose with leather and chocolate notes full bodied, firm tannins, excellent balance, harmony, structure & complexity. chocolate & dark coffee. mushroom and sous-bois. long excellent aftertaste. can be enjoyed now but its optimal period is still way ahead.
after 36 hours: excellent!
after 48 hours: the wine became partially oxidised; still drinkable in a way
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Had this with 09 leoville Barton and lascombes. This was favorite by a small margin. Nice tobacco, cigar box, cassis, earth, black fruits. Palate had the most elegance of the 3. The most compete.
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I disagree with some critics who have said that this is somewhat lightweight. The wine - tasted and thoroughly enjoyed - from half bottle has that gorgeous seashell freshness you can get from top notch Medoc wines. There is black fruit, ripe and all, but a refreshing aspect that keeps you coming back for more. And the underlying structure is there for long term aging. My sister came over for dinner and I had prepared seared sea bass with a 2002 Puligny Montrachet and then decided to have this GPL from half. Needless to say, it did not last long (and my sister is not a quantities person). So I opened another one. Dangerously delicious.
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Decanted 2 hours. Its classic Bordeaux nose was already open. Good fruits, palate was still quite tight but the tannins were fine. Quite powerful and great potential.
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Dark currants, bloody beef, solid fleshy fruit, quite approachable, some graphite on the back palate. Medium length. Not completely sold on GPL but I can definitely sense it's potential.
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Weekly tasting group #174; A mixed set: white, red and sweet. (@ RW with a BBQ): Still very youthful and luxurious bouquet with cassis and other dark forest fruits, cigar box and beautifully dosed oak. Same impressions on the palate, beautiful acidity and tannin and full bodied, but much too young. The finesse already shows in this harmonious wine, but it will be wise to wait until 2023 or a bit later. 92 - 94+ for tonight.
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First closed, but opened up with some more air. Reticent and very elegant and classic nose of blackcurrant, tobacco, cedar wood, some crushed flowers and some minerality. On the palate there are also some spices, cigar tobacco and some coffee. Medium-full bodied and dense but with incredible finesse and elegance, it has medium-high super silky tannin and medium-high acidity. Long and complex finish. A very beautiful, classic but silky and elegant GPL. Still very young at the moment but give it a few more years and watch the magic develop.
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2009 is a beautiful vintage for Château Grand Puy Lacoste, and the Borie family have produced a wine of unimpeachable classicism which seems to gain in delineation and style every year. The bouquet offers up an attractively ripe melange of blackcurrant, cedar, wet gravel and incipient hints of cigar box, with only subtle oak nuances that are already very well integrated. On the palate the wine is deep, very intense, with extremely velvety tannins, as the vintage has clearly mitigated some of GPL's typical youthful truculence. What is interesting is that the wine is developing to find more focus and tension, and is generally beginning to taste more like the 2005 than it did a few years ago, which is surely a very good sign. A brilliant Pauillac.
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From a 375. Taking note of all the "too young!" comments, I decanted at 10 AM. Drank at 5.
It's too young. I appreciate the notes below citing all the various tastes found herein -- I could taste, more or less, tannins. I'll be back around 2020 for another glass. Love the GPL.
AND: we left about a half-glass left in the bottle. Put the cork back in and forgot about it. Three days later my girlfriend finished it off -- she said it was fantastic, way better than the '66 Latour we'd had the night before, and she wants more. So shall it be.
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Charming, supple, round style of Pauillac that is a treat in your mouth and on your palate. Still a baby, this could develop into a more exciting wine in the years to come.
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Big leather, Forrest, mushroom, black currant, dust nose. Very dark red color. Lots of layers that are not exactly showing yet. Sharp sour cherry taste. Medium light weight. High acid. Lots of leather on the taste, but lacking a bit of fruit. Some cranberry and under ripe blueberry flavors. Tannins super strong. A little watermelon peel on the nose. Should be some amazing stuff in 10 years.
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This had a lot going on. Really not ready to drink yet - less because of it being backward or too tannic but more that it's too flabby and unformed - it hasn't settled down yet. It's clear that this is pretty nice stuff though. Looking forward to my next bottles and I hope I can wait a few years before opening the next one. I do think the older style of this is more appealing though - I think back to the '96 which was utterly amazing.
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Drank in Bordeaux Nose of Tar, leather, earth, cassis and vanilla. Smooth complex palate with a medium length. It is nice but not as good as I was expecting. Will come back in a couple of years.
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Rather disappointed in this wine. I love GPL for its classical style, but this was clumsy and excessively alcoholic. Pitch black color. Rich and heady scent that lacks nuance. Flavors of fig paste, leather, sweet jammy fruit, and alcohol. Very thick and black-fruited. Lacks balance and elegance. Also, the alcohol level is way higher than the label figure of 13.5 -- got to be flirting with 15. Definitely goes to your head. Doesn't handle its alcohol or volume as well as even some of the 'fruit bomb' right bank wines from 2009 that normally work in this kind of style. Perhaps the year got away from them.
I'm not sure this is the kind of issue that works itself out with aging. GPL is normally a wine I go long on and I have over half a case of this left, maybe I need to work out a way to sell or trade it. If you like this style you will like it better than I did -- my partner enjoys Amarone and Port and she appreciated this wine a lot more than I. But don't come to it expecting a graceful left bank Bordeaux.
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Thank God my second bottle was pristine. Blackish deep crimson color, that juicy nose of blackberries, cassis, leather and slight hint of oak, opulent nose reflective of this outstanding vintage. Lush entry on the palate, nicely balanced mid palate with gobs of black fruits and a decent finish for this medium bodied Pauillac, tannins present due to the wine's youth but tempered beautifully by the richness of fruit and opulence of the vintage. Nice indeed.
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Decanted for 2 hours. A bit of closed nose, but nice. Dry. Great blueberry ripe cherry, hints of nuts on backend. 92+. Really nice. Very young and seems to have a lot of years to go.
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92-93 pts. Liked this one quite a bit. Would be hard to pick this as a Bordeaux right away. Nose was a bit closed down, but had some jammy aspects lingering in the background, and some alcohol. Beautiful texture, very velvety and silky smooth. Layers of dark fruits, currant, and plums, almost like a nice Mendoza malbec. Good amounts of raspberry jam as well, plush and firm tannins, but surprisingly approachable right now. Elegant and nicely done. I am a fan.
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Black like most 09s. Lovely cassis, raspberry, mocha nose. Powerful attack with velvety mid-palate. Lovely balance and acidity with silky tannin. Similar precision and tension as other high quality 09s - difficult to describe and but a defining element particularly for Paulliac.
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Through a vinturi and a five hour decant. Didn't drink, so back in the bottle overnight and another two hours in decanter the next day. Very classy stuff. Amazing how drinkable right now. Clearly Bordeaux but with a New World twist. Very ripe and primary right now with supple tannins. Elegant and balanced. Bordeaux and Napa fans loved it.
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It has a big, expressive bouquet with notes of uber-ripe black currants (think Ribena), violets, dust, cinnamon, and menthol with no obvious new oak. To taste, there's lots of iodine and minerals, very cassis, spicy, with a good pop of lemony acidity despite the ripeness. Medium to full-bodied with silky tannins, not a monster structure but with very late hit of tannic constriction on the tongue. This is wide-open, primary and young to be sure, but there's nothing closed or inscrutible about this. 90-92 pts.
The mid palate and finish are reassuringly good and show some restraint/class, and doesn't seem like it will fall apart like some walking-dead Rolland zombies. Will this develop the complexity and texture of the great clarets of yore, or will it remain a pleasant, simple 90-pointer? I dunno, but right now I dislike those notes of overripeness on the nose and attack. Ribena in my Pauillac? I like it a lot more the a 75-pt wine, but Jal's note below has a point (though this half-bottle shows no oaky vanilla, but there may be some Chilean merlot in the bouquet).
Overall, a GPL with a split personality, taking something from California, something Bordeaux. If this were a young Cali cab, I'd probably be much higher on this, but this is a Grand Cru Classe from Pauillac, not some hippie investor winemaker's weekend hobby. Clearly, this appears different than the great GPLs of old, but I never had the 82, 90 or 95 on release. What I can say with confidence, this 2009 certainly is different -- not necessarily worse, maybe even better, but definitely different -- than the 00/01 GPLs which I tasted young.
This is ripe and pretty modern, is that just the 09 vintage showing through and will this settle down after 15 years? Time will tell, but this doesn't have the gravitas of the 2005, so maybe this is just a global-warming wine.
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Vindredi (Bellevue, WA): Tasted blind. Ripe, pretty nose of fruit and spice. Lovely. Red, juicy fruit followed by a med+ finish and medium size tannins. Soft on the palate, though a touch one dimensional at this time.
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Vanilla, oak, jammy hot and sweet. Absolutely disgusting. Where are the high ratings coming from? This wine is modern, resembles in no way the great GPLs of old. Awful
Deep crimson color. Nose beautiful perfume of cassis, raspberry, cedar and oyster shell. Palate graceful yet full and luscious with quite fine but persistent tannins. great length and composure will ensure a long life and drinking window. The first of my cellar collection - very impressive.
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2009 Bordeaux Masterclass, Hilton Hotel, Sydney. Tasted blind. Another impenetrable wine. Medium purple. Closed nose with perhaps some savoury, leafy notes. Medium to full bodied. Sweet black plum and cassis with strong cedary flavours from dominant oak. Lovely tannins. Long finish. Again, I cannot judge this now - needs 10 years.
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Decided to bring 2 Bordeaux's to the lake, an 03 Leoville Barton and an 09 Grand-Puy_Lacoste and I would decide what to drink on Friday evening. Well after reading about how accessible the 09's are I decided on the Lacoste. My initial impression was when the heck did they bottle this wine? It tastes like a mature Claret which means this vintage is indeed approachable young. I have not touched any of my high-end 05's and am starting to think about the 03's but this was open for business. I wonder if the 09's will shutdown? Opened about 2 hours before dinner and decanted 1/2 the bottle. Took an initial sip prior to splashing in the decanter and said wow! There was that classic Bdx pencil lead on the nose and some nice dark fruit. I opened a 2010 Ch St Michelle Cab as the opener and if this was a symphony it played one note, fruit, fruit, fruit. Then as I finished dinner preparations we sat down with a glass of the GPL and what a difference this symphony makes with all kinds of notes. Notes of tobacco, cedar, cigar box and my wife who likes her wines smooth and aged remarked how velvety this was. Classic Bordeaux experience and will save my last bottle for 5, 10 maybe 15 years depending on how thirsty I get over that time.
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Very Pauillac on the nose, with red berries and graphite. Intense, elegant and harmonious on the palate. Good acidity for the vintage. Intense and sharp core. Accessible at the moment due to its soft tannins, but seems to have a long life ahead of it. A personal favorite.
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Horisontal - Misc Bordeaux 2009: Nose: Quite restrained, sewer, green bell pepper, stalks. Palate: Sweet and creamy plum fruit, medium acidity. A little simple and boring but it does seem quite closed.
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It starts with the purple foam in your glass... That aristocratic famous Pauillac nose of cedar combined with very ripe berries. Popped and poured. More accessible than an '09 Poujeaux I had yesterday. The wine attrackts fruit flies and that says a lot about it's fruitiness. This is great now and will be during it's long, long life if you have self-control to let it mature in your cellar.
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This seductive vintage of Grand Puy Lacoste was produced from a blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc. Cedar wood, gravel, cassis and cigar box scents led to a plush, soft, sophisticated Pauillac. Lacking the levels of concentration found in the 2010, the wine is made in a beautiful, inviting style that should drink great after 5-7 years of age.
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2009 Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux Tasting; 1/27/2012-1/31/2012 (Sheraton Hotel & Towers, Chicago, Illinois): 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc. I've never had this on release so I did not know what to expect although I've had a few older bottles. Sweet nose. Notes of tobacco and cedar. Not much fruit now. Firm tannins. Doesn't seem that this will approach the excellent 1989 but still and very good wine. 90-91 points.
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UGC 2009 Bordeaux Tasting (Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers): Dark fruit and spice & black pepper on the nose. Taste is very smooth with a very nice mix of dark fruit, tobacco and oak. Moderate tannins, so the fruit still gets to shine. Tasted twice, with consistent notes.
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Nice stone/crushed rock aromas on the nose here; excellent balance with very pleasing, fullish fruit here, without going over the top. With a sweet perfumey note as well, there's an excellent balance between fruit, acidity, minerality - really good stuff. 94-96. Right up there with the Leoville Barton. Great Bordeaux typicity. Factoring in price, this is one to look for in this great vintage.
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UGC 2009 Bordeaux Tasting - NYC - 1.25.12 (New York City): One of my top three of the tasting, and it garners this title partly because one doesn’t have to crack a thousand dollars to buy a case of it. I’d love to line this wine up against a recent vintage Latour and serve them blind; it is that good. What the GPL has that many of the other Pauillacs tasted seemed to miss was the freshness and nervosity on the nose that I began in my preamble. Great lift and floral elements on the nose that is simply gorgeous. Far less backward than the 06 and 05 GPLs; this wine is not draped in imposing tannins like those vintages. It is subdued and elegant; qualities I think will make for better aging in a vintage that may have some risk-factor for long-term cellaring. Simply superb and a wine I will seek to buy. (94-98+)
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Union des Grands Grus 2009 Bordeaux Tasting (Petersen Automotive Museum, Los Angeles): Lots of barnyard on the nose, followed by saddle leather, black cherry, and lead pencil. More earthy barnyard on the palate, along with black cherries, dark plums, lead pencil shavings, and a ton of leather. Dusty tannins, with a medium finish ending on a note of lead pencil. Maybe this was a bit closed, but to be honest I was underwhelmed on this showing. Good.
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Quite deeply coloured; fantastic nose - really seductive red fruit tinged with velvety cassis (if you can imagine it!); silky palate - very elegant. Huge concentration. Very long and complete. Refined finish. Excellent. 94-96.
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Farr Christmas Tasting 2010: Lovely thread of bright fruit & fresh acidity. Refreshing at the end of a long arduous tasting (poor me!). Long & savoury. £575/cs (Sal 91 pts)
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2009 Grand Puy Lacoste is ruby colored, with an open nose of jammy dark berries, cassis, herbs, and coffee. The wine ends with cassis and black cherry flavors. Although a nice style of Grand Puy Lacoste, the wine lacks the depth and concentration found in the top vintages like 82, 90, 96, 00 & 05. Because Grand Puy Lacoste is difficult to pronounce in Chinese, the wine is known as the “Crocodile Wine” in Asia because of the association with the Lacoste name and the bottle and the logo used by the sportswear company. 92/94 Pts
5/8/2024 - libero wrote: 93 Points
This is a 15 years old Pauillac. It took one hour to open up. Aromas of old leather, tobacco and coffee .
Dark red and smooth at taste . A pleasant Pauillac which pair with strong cheese and food.
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5/5/2024 - Collector1855 wrote: 95 Points
Still drinking very young but with great balance and freshness. Tons of tightly woven fruit, ripe tannins and early stage tertiary notes. This will be very good in 5 years and keep for a long time.
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5/1/2024 - MikePemulis Likes this wine: 92 Points
Substantially improved or just a better bottle compared to 6 months and a year ago. Comes into its own and drank well over the course of dinner and for a few hours after that. This was really complete, well integrated and enjoyable. Didn't decant this one which may have helped.
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4/29/2024 - SonnyChiba wrote: 93 Points
Hovering around that 93-94 pts range at current age, a really nice wine. Benefited from about 30 minutes in the glass and gained a lot more nuance with air. Great mix of power and finesse. Complimented the course (Ryuzu in Roppongi) very well and was best priced option on their wine list (impressive list).
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4/29/2024 - Conor89 wrote: 91 Points
The wine looks crimson colored. The legs are medium. There is moderate sediment in the bottle.
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3/31/2024 - Highlander wrote:
Excellent! Hour or so decant and it was singing. Very well balanced: Terroir, Tannins & Fruit, everything comes together here. Add in a bit of leather, very mild tobacco and you have an excellent wine
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3/2/2024 - popopdrops wrote: 93 Points
Dekantert. 4 år siden sist, og vesentlig bedre, man langt unna sitt potensiale. Pent og pyntelig, men ikke mer. Vent 2 år med neste.
Siste tredjedel dag 3, og kommet virkelig til seg selv, og der jeg håpa den ville være. Balanse, ingenting stikker ut, herlig!
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2/18/2024 - PLLU Likes this wine: 97 Points
Clear medium garnet with medium + flavors of fresh and dry,blackberry , black currants.secondary and tertiary notes of tobacco, chocolate, leather, creamy texture, forest floor and nutmeg.
The wine is dry with medium + acidity, medium tannins, alcohol and body. The intensity is medium + and the finish is long. The quality is outstanding and it can be drunk now with potential for aging a bit further.
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2/15/2024 - Rossodio Likes this wine: 93 Points
Took some coaxing of 3 hours in decanter to get anything to come out but this was quite good, if slightly amped up on the alcohol level.
Dinner at Larkin's. I had half.
Vvv
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2/7/2024 - jackstraw Likes this wine: 92 Points
1 hour decant - great nose & flavor - much better than 15 months ago
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1/26/2024 - Mattshank wrote: 94 Points
2 hour decant. Nose: Complex aromas of tobacco, graphite, cassis, fresh flowers and earth. Unreal! Palate: Perfect balance of dark fruits, graphite, pencil lead and an amazingly long balanced finish. Unreal good and one of the best Bordeaux wines I’ve had in quite some time! Went perfect with filet mignon. 94+ points.
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1/5/2024 - tdoyle@smcdslaw.com Likes this wine: 94 Points
Integrated tannis. Leather, cedar, tobacco and tar aromas. Classic Bordeaux fruit.
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12/19/2023 - Ibetian wrote: 94 Points
Decanted shortly before dinner. This is really drinking well now, but might still improve and plenty of time left. Nice complexity on the nose and palate. Really great mouthfeel.
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11/19/2023 - JOthewineguy wrote: 93 Points
Still has some years ahead of it. Very young to the taste. Still evolving after 5-6 hour decant. Has the nice energy of a cab from France. Still quite grippy tannins. Sharp stewed berries, cassis, saddle leather, and drying tobacco on the nose. Medium full body. But nice length and mouth coating. Try in 2-3 or more years. Or decant 6-8 hours. Tried with braised ribs, good, But much better with lamb!!!!!!
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11/13/2023 - JBL19 wrote: 91 Points
1 hod dekantace.
Ale stále kyselé.
Je to dobré ale není hotové stále.
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11/11/2023 - nnektarios Likes this wine: 91 Points
Blind tasted with Leoville Barton 2003 and Rauzan-Segla 2015. One step behind them, a little bit disappointing for a 2009 vintage. Very closed in the beginning, needed time but still never got the a high level. No complexity, medium finish, just OK.
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10/11/2023 - P&F wrote: 92 Points
Fine tannins, lovely dark fruit, leather - it could still go some years.
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9/24/2023 - curtr Likes this wine: 93 Points
Decanted 1.5 hr. Big and starting to resolve. Pair with a steak.
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9/10/2023 - MikePemulis wrote: 86 Points
2nd bottle in 6 months both from the same case. Find this wine to be just ok with a very stewed profile to the fruit that I don't care for. Seems to improve with 30-45 minutes in the decanter but then falls apart fairly quickly after that. Not my cup of tea.
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9/8/2023 - pavel_p Likes this wine: 92 Points
Opened 2009 and 2010 GPL side by side. Both wines double decanted for about 45 min in the morning and then stood upright in the wine fridge until dinner. Unlike the 2010 which is a bit muted upon pulling the cork, the 2009 shows a lot of oak upon opening. Over dinner, the oak is integrated but overall my impression from last bottle 2 years ago is confirmed. The 2009 is another nice, very open knit medium bodied left bank Bordeaux, not particularly Pauillac and in my eyes clearly behind the 1996, 2000 and 2005 GPL. Good wine but I can get a similar experience when opening say 2009 La Lagune.
The 2010 which I have not had since the UGC tasting 10 years ago, is showing significantly better than the 2009. Layered deep dark fruit, iron, more concentration and weight here, this is now a top Pauillac in my book. 2009: 92. 2010 94-95.
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9/6/2023 - drjb wrote: 95 Points
Reminiscent of the 1982 at the same age this wine opens with a deep dark crimson colour and a rich nose of cassis, raspberry, dark chocolate, cedar and oyster shell. The palate is full and luscious with a mouthful of rich dark fruits backed with a wall of fine grained tannins and a lovely mineral austerity that goes on and on. There's nothing stewed or overdone in these bottles and I suspect we will be enjoying a glorious developed nose and spherical balanced fruit like the 82 at the end of this decade.
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8/23/2023 - Peakk Likes this wine: 92 Points
Dark fruits, some earthiness, medium body & acidity, smooth tanins.
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8/1/2023 - vertex663 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Beautiful Bordeaux wine! Dark berry fruit (dark cherry, currant, cassis) with cedar, leather, and dark chocolate. Opened the bottle 1 hr before drinking and continued to taste better throughout the night. Still has some grippy tannins and med acidity. Med+ finish - best wine of the night that we tried.
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7/31/2023 - mtaczak Likes this wine: 93 Points
I disagree with those saying that it's at peak and won't improve. There's still plenty of structure and grip and fruit to give this some runway to develop more complexity. Is it brooding and monolithic and backwards? No, it's lovely to drink, especially after 60 mins ina decanter. But it's hardly becoming geriatric. Will it live forever? Also no. Probably 5-10 more years?
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7/30/2023 - curtr Likes this wine: 93 Points
375 ml, Decanted 1 hr. Needed more time to open. Mid drinking plateau. Drink now to 2029.
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6/16/2023 - Allabla Likes this wine: 93 Points
Superb. Delicious. Decant for an hour at least.
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6/9/2023 - vide wrote: 91 Points
All right, I was right the first time round. A great wine betrayed by an overblown and superficial vintage, whose wines possess a style that is the result of a very influential American wine critic and global warming.
Claret needs backbone: it needs tannin. Recent wines are being produced for a market that wants its wines now. But this is not how Claret works.
2010, I think, will be a better vintage. I countenance patience and old age.
vide.
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6/7/2023 - Ibetian wrote: flawed
Slightly corked
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5/28/2023 - vide wrote: 92 Points
All right. I was wrong. But I do not detract my observations on the 2009 vintage, which has produced superficial lackluster big fruit wines. The latter is what we wanted after the thin lissies of preceding vintages. And I suspect that the producers changed their style to follow Parker. But left-bank claret needs a bit of bite to it, otherwise it is too fat in the mouth.
This wine is delicious. That is its problem.
vide.
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5/26/2023 - prccap Likes this wine: 92 Points
Took around an hour to blow off and allow the wine to really come out. Notes of currants on the aroma with cedar box, oak -and vanilla. Taste matched the aroma exactly. Body was medium with medium to medium plus smooth tannins. This wine was all finesse with very little fruit at this point. Drink this now
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5/26/2023 - vide wrote: 91 Points
2009: what a dreadful vintage. It was hyped up to be the saviour after a series of bad Claret vintages. I bought a lot, as did everyone else. But this is not true claret: it has no backbone or structure: you might as well be drinking Napa Valley.
It is ascetic, understated and it hides its fruit. This is a happy happy wine. I don't for happiness in my drinking of fine wine; I look for an intellectual engagement
The good news is that the 2008s are getting better and better.
One requires patience and a sense for duration.
Vide.
The latter may be the same as the former.
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5/25/2023 - sboyle Likes this wine: 93 Points
Initially reductive, took an hour for the sulfur to go away. Cassis, cedarbox, leather and vanilla on the aroma and palate. Acidity is medium, bordering on medium low. Tannins are medium-plus with a medium-fine sandpaper character that coats and drys out the mouth. Body is medium/medium-plus. Overall, I enjoy the wine, but for my taste, it’s still good, but it’s a little past it’s prime.
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5/10/2023 - Bjweiss Likes this wine: 96 Points
This bottle aged so perfectly. Stunning wine with layers upon layers of secondary and tertiary notes. Can’t stop smelling the wine and smiling like an idiot. Wow.
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5/1/2023 - mcktuck wrote: 87 Points
Pop and pour, and followed over 2 days. My ultimate impression at the moment is that this is big and ripe, and ultimately of the rather anonymous international style that seemed to dominate its era. Nose showed mostly dark fruits and oak--plums, blueberries, a slight streak of blackcurrant highlight the just-on-the-edge of raisinated fruit profile, with plenty of vanilla, mocha and wood. Hints of pencil shavings tried to poke through, but never quite seemed to last.
The palate is full-bodied and tannic. Again, it's a big and ripe wine, and not particularly fresh. Oak still very present.
At the moment, not really my style of Bdx. The optimist in me hopes this is just an awkward-teen years phase, but I'm definitely a skeptic. Will try one more bottle in a few years to see if it's improved.
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4/23/2023 - mxpbuy Likes this wine: 93 Points
Needed 60 minutes in a decanter to come around and it did very well. Tannic at first but got very smooth within 60 mins. Loads of black, blue and red fruits; some cassis, sweet Oak and graphite. 20 second finish.
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3/25/2023 - jviz wrote: 92 Points
Served blind, I guess a 2007 Napa valley floor cabernet blend. It is a little candied/lightly confected with sweet fruit and a little sun kissed fig/raisin. It did not come off as overly roasted and in fact, I thought it was a pretty good drink, even if not what I want in a top vintage Bordeaux. It will be interesting to follow these 09s as they mature. I’m more nervous about that than excited at this point.
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3/19/2023 - ubercuvee wrote:
A bit confected and simple side-by-side with the lovely 2019 (tough act to follow). A lot more diffuse than the ’19 on the palate
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2/17/2023 - Psdycp wrote: 94 Points
Very fragrant bouquet, ripe blue and black fruits, toasted clove and aniseed with fermented beans, gravel and barnyard. Palate echoed the nose. Rich and deep full-bodied mid-palate from entry to finish. Nice transition to a mineral and leathery finish. Ready to drink now with an hour of decanting. Will continue to age for the next 3-5 years.
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2/12/2023 - libero wrote: 93 Points
This wine is 14 years old and Mid to dark red with sub tons of purple. Vibrant and alive . Light aromas after two hours decant. Young leather, round, smooth and short dry finishing.
It Has not change substantial from 2 years ago.
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2/3/2023 - bucktooth22 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Decanted 3.5 hours. Soft magenta purple, long slow legs, on 👃 earthy first with dry forest floor, graphite, cinnamon , charcoal, orange peel, dark cherries, leather. Medium dry, quite milky, medium grippy frontal tannins, throat burn (med/high acidity), juicy cherries & blackberries. Very aromatic, tasty wine. Beautiful now but could get better.
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1/21/2023 - Aravind Asok wrote:
Pop and pour. Drinking very well right now. Soft charcoal, cedar, blackberry. On the palate: good acidity, charcoal, soft blackberry, garrigue, soft tannin on the juicy finish. My style of BDX.
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1/7/2023 - MattB72 wrote: 93 Points
A long decant, but still a bit closed down. Should revisit in a couple years.
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1/1/2023 - MaxRad Likes this wine: 93 Points
very young - another 5-10 years perhaps.
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11/8/2022 - chatters wrote:
Cellartracker in the flesh with Pjaines (Paul), Porkandsalmon (Richard) and Vintomas (Tomas) (Various venues, London): blackcurrant, sous bois, slight leather, earth, slight alcohol prickle, a little almost raisined note but, contrariwise, a little green herbaceousness. Medium plus intensity acidity, tightly textured tannins, savoury black fruit, a slight liquorice note, palate better than the nose but a bit of alcohol warmth on the finish throws this out of balance for me.
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10/18/2022 - Zweder wrote: 93 Points
Monthly Tuesday group "The Dead Sparrow";Bordeaux 2009 vs 2010 (By JS): Beautiful dark berries, graphite, sweet spices and cedar in the bouquet. On the palate dark berries, graphite, licorice, laurel and chocolate. Beautiful acidity and round tannin. Full bodied, yet delicate and elegant. Beautiful wine with a good length. Very young maturity stage now and a great pleasure already.
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9/21/2022 - jackstraw wrote:
2 hour decant wasn’t enough - I think this will be better down the road - nose was dense & enjoyable but the wine was still a bit overpowering in the mouth
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8/7/2022 - miadelt Likes this wine: 93 Points
Seems like it is aging quickly. Soft tannins, ripe fruit, medium bodied. Enjoyed the flavors; but does not quite have the structure of a typical GPL. Drink over the next few years.
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7/23/2022 - kcsteve Likes this wine: 94 Points
Ditto too note in June '22
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6/29/2022 - kcsteve Likes this wine: 94 Points
Decanted in temp controlled cellar for 3 hours. Wine totally integrated. No facet overwhelmed another. Velvet tannins, juicy acidity, black and blue fruit, bell pepper, and spices. Amazing quality for the price.
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4/23/2022 - Blauweiss Likes this wine: 93 Points
Lovely rich and powerful bdx, ar it’s prime right now with Bell pepper, cassis, dark berries, rich and smooth. A true gem!
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4/13/2022 - Zweder wrote: 93 Points
Monthly Tasting Group HWS: Bordeaux 2005 vs 2009 (by DJ): In the beautiful bouquet red and dark berries, some green impressions like green bell pepper. On the palate juicy dark berries, some spiciness, laurel, graphite and beautiful, round acidity and tannin.
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4/9/2022 - Zweder wrote: 94 Points
An easy afternoon with close friends; Pauillac and Pessac (@ My place): Beautiful bouquet with sweet spices and lovely oak and cedar. On the palate a great concentration and body with ripe dark berries, sweet licorice, beautiful acidity and round tannin and a pleasant touch of sweetness. After three days open at room temperature the wine hardly showed any decline. Great stuff and easily the winner beside the 2005 and 2008. Wait a few more years might be wise.
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2/15/2022 - gp2468 Likes this wine: 90 Points
I think this will be fine, but I'm not sure when...
To be honest I was a little underwhelmed and perhaps guilty of expecting the 2009 fireworks with which this vintage is hyped. It's like trying to get a lazy child out of bed. The nose needs lots of coaxing and many swills in the glass before the typical Pauillac cedar, black fruit and lead pencil come through, and on the palate it's attractive, but one dimensional, unexciting and not significantly better after a lengthy airing. I didn't detect masses of tannin, so it's not certain to be masses better in 10yrs+. Puzzling.
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12/22/2021 - Zweder wrote: 93 Points
Gang of 4 in Covid19 times; Pauillac: The bouquet is still completely locked. Also on the palate the wine is still locked, but there are dark berries, vanilla from the oak, good acidity and sticky tannin. Good length. The wine holds a promise and will probably improve over the next decade. 93+ for today.
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12/1/2021 - Winemaker51 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Decanted only for 1 hour. Not enough time. After tasting a handful of 2009 Pauillac’s; I’m of the mind that 2009 Margaux’s are more approachable at this time. It did finally open up at the last pour. It does have upside, and I will hesitate opening the other bottles (and 2009 Pauillac’s for that matter) until later. Does have beautiful, Cabernet deliniation that is not overripe. Tannins are there, but there’s elegance too. Altogether very well constructed; but I do think this Pauillac is in winter dormancy. Wait
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11/28/2021 - O'Meara Likes this wine:
Double decanted two hours. Drank over two hours. This is a work horse Pauillac. Full, ripe red and black fruits delivered with sublime acidity that nearly mirrors the acidity of the human palate. This is not a blockbuster wine of concentration. Nor is it a wine that is really ready to consume. Sure, it’s approachable now, but there is enough tension hidden behind the well balanced tannin, acidity, and fruit that it’s easy to dismiss this wine as boring. My hunch is that this is a wonderful GPL in a dumb phase, and it’s so easy drinking now that this phase seems incomprehensible as “dumb.”
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11/18/2021 - WKC Likes this wine: 92 Points
Decanted 3 hours ahead and drank over another 3. Beautiful bouquet of graphite and pencil shavings mixed in with lovely floral bouquet. Great price point.
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10/12/2021 - mchern02 wrote: 92 Points
2 Hour Decant
Classic somewhat rustic nose with graphite, pencil lead, chalky dark fruit with the slightest amount of heat and transparency. Palate is attractive and approachable, with sweet red fruit and a touch of alcohol but not hugely delineated at this time. Could benefit from a few more years in the bottle and likely has some upside.
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8/12/2021 - pavel_p wrote:
Hmm… 3rd or 4th bottle from an OWC. This is a solid Bordeaux but if you are expecting something special, you will not get it here and now.
Decanted for 30 min and drank over the following 2h. Am a big GPL fan and had to check my own notes on some of the older great Bordeaux/GPL vintages (like 96/00/05). Closest I have tried in terms of age is the 05 in 2017, and that was really a remarkable Pauillac at age 12 which I rated at 94. The 09 is right right now more in the 91-92 range with a medium body of dark and red fruit, some toast and fine but somewhat sandy tannins. Short to medium finish.
I am sure this can improve another point or two, and I was equally sceptical re some of the 2000 Bdx vintages (and quite a few did turn out really well) but I would be really, really amazed if this would turn into a truly great Pauillac with more bottle age.
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8/4/2021 - paujokal Likes this wine: 93 Points
Drinking wonderfully right now.
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6/30/2021 - Zweder wrote: 93 Points
Beautiful and luxurious bouquet with creamy red berries and butter. On the palate creamy red fruits, blue berries, some ripe bell pepper, chocolate, fresh acidity, round tannin and a pleasant touch of sweetness.
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5/28/2021 - AllRed wrote: 92 Points
Friday Night Brown Bagger (R&R's): Double blind. Dark fruit and herbal notes dominate the bouquet. Red fruit flavors on the palate with a slightly sweet edge. Develops a perfumey floral note under the red fruit notes. (R&D)
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5/22/2021 - sem106 Likes this wine: 95 Points
So well balanced, beautiful fruit with so much graphite and pencil shavings. Soft tannin, good mouth feel. The full package
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3/26/2021 - gouldcampbell77 wrote: 91 Points
Not as open as the excellent bottle consumed in May last year. Great aromatics still and lovely concentration of pure blue fruits but the oak is protruding a bit leaving an aftertaste of burnt toast. I suspect this is still a bit too young. JL suggests leaving these until 2024 which I think is spot on.
Day 2. After 24 hrs in the fridge (and warmed back up to room temperature) this was much better. Oak much more integrated and a more pleasant experience all round. Reinforces my opinion that this is simply too young. Phew.
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3/23/2021 - Doubleten wrote: 89 Points
Tasting notes from the 2nd day after opening. The bottle was decanted yesterday for one hour, then tasted and followed for 10 hrs. The remainder was returned to the bottle and the cork replaced. Today the wine has calmed down. There is no aroma to speak about, but the acidity is also substantially diminished and the wine more balanced. All in all a pleasant, if unexciting Bordeaux today.
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3/22/2021 - Doubleten Does not like this wine: 88 Points
From pristine bottles, purchased ex-chateau in 2018. I’ve now had this wine twice within the last 3 years with similar disappointment on both occasions. Decanted for 1 hour and drunk through the evening.
The wine was deep purple with no bricking. The aromas held promise while decanting, but were not impressive once in the glass. Predominantly blue fruits, medium tannins and acidic, with a fleshy mouthfeel. Subdued fruit and limited secondary flavors. Tannic and alcoholic finish. The wine quickly became flabby at room temperature (70 degrees F) and had to be cooled to regain lift. After 10 hours, it did not settle down. Instead, the acidic profile became more dominant. I poured the rest back into the bottle and will re-taste it a day later.
For my palate, this wine needs another 10 years. Given the level of fruit it’s shown so far, I would expect it to develop into a classic and restrained Pauillac, perhaps deserving a low 90’s score. Not impressive, open or exciting as my memories of the 1982. I have a few bottles left, but sadly wouldn’t be buying anymore.
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3/7/2021 - andreel Likes this wine: 90 Points
Seemed a bit tannic on opening so we decanted it. However the structure somehow fell apart after an hour or so in the decanter so on balance we preferred it before decanting. Mellow, balanced, rich.
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1/26/2021 - John McCabe wrote: 94 Points
My last of these. From a half bottle. This shows the house style - classic Paulliac notes with some graphite and creme-de-casis. Extensive on the palate, very attractive. There is a freshness here that one might think this is the '10 vintage instead of the '09.
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12/31/2020 - libero wrote: 93 Points
Same notes as Sept 2020
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12/20/2020 - barrkel Likes this wine: 92 Points
Interesting experience. I suspected the wine might be corked for a little bit, the initial oak vaguely resembled a damp cellar, but it didn't get worse and it didn't dominate, so I'm far from sure - I'd give it a 5% probability of some taint. The wine was enjoyable in any case. It's structured around dark oak, savoury acid and mild black fruit, with vaguely earthy notes and a long persistent cedar aftertaste with perhaps some balsamic notes. Mild tannins and they don't get much stronger or smoother with air. Quite acidic but hides it fairly well. There are many flavours when washed around in the mouth, mostly indistinct herbal notes and possibly some licorice. It's a deep wine, mature, but also subtle - it's not bold enough to put up against too many strong flavours. Best savoured on its own.
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12/8/2020 - winebuff037 Does not like this wine: 89 Points
Open a second bottle the following day. My experience is completely different from the first bottle. I opened it 2 hours ahead. But the wine tasted acidic throughout, no other discernible development. Don't like
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12/7/2020 - tailorvino Likes this wine: 93 Points
Tasted over the course of 2 days. Initially bit closed then opening up. Colour a deep ruby, medium (+) intensity with plum, raspberry, cassis, violets, earthy, leather, slight herbaceous notes which faded over time, tertiary notes appeared later when the wine had evolved. All nicely integrated now but still enough acidity and tannin to allow for a long life ahead. @finewine.explorer
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12/6/2020 - winebuff037 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Opened the bottle an hour early. It evolved in the glass 4 times--from very tannic to acidic to sweet then to well balanced. Fascinating.
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11/14/2020 - jkad Likes this wine: 91 Points
PnP over 2.5 hours. Started off medium body, lively and drying tannin. More cedar than fruit. About 45 min in had with filet mignon and twice baked potato. Tannins were smoothed by the fat from dinner and a little Anise showed through. Last hour there is plenty of dryness from the tannin. Great with food, a little tannic otherwise. Plenty of life left. Probably drink until 2040.
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9/25/2020 - Mario17 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Graphite, black currant, dark fruit, some tobacco. Dense, deep, fleshy yet with some freshness and the nice structure and tannins are well balanced and with a great texture feel to them. Length is medium though. 89-90
Mine crayon, cassis, fruits noirs, tabac. Belle densité et texture qui va avec une certaine fraîcheur et des tannins soyeux et agréables. Très bon malgré une longueur moyenne.
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9/10/2020 - libero wrote: 93 Points
11 years old bottle delicious and getting better. Mid to dark red with sunbtons of purple. Vibrant and alive . Light aromas after two hours decant. Young leather, round, smooth and short dry finishing.
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7/10/2020 - pavel_p Likes this wine: 93 Points
First bottle from an OWC bought on release. Tried a small glass upon opening and then decanted for about 1h. Unlike the recently tried 09 Pontet Canet, this does not really require a long decant as the wine is open and accessible from the moment you pull the cork. Medium bodied and well balanced with dark fruit and some pencil lead, already a touch of tobacco and leather, fully integrated tannins. Long finish.
Excellent GPL and as of now certainly at par with the 100 pointer Pontet Canet but I am not convinced this is head and shoulders above the 96/00/05 GPL which is what one would have thought based on the raving reviews of the 09s en primeur.
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6/5/2020 - Bordeaux 2013 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Best after two hours of decanting.
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3/27/2020 - alvinquah Likes this wine: 92 Points
Opened it for my birthday dinner. Decant 3 hours prior. Paired with cold angelhair topped with raw Hokkaido scallop and uni, prawn tartar (not recommenced with Bordeaux wine) with caviar and ravioli stuffed burrata topped with shaved truffle.
Boy this wine is bold... with black fruit, oak, pencil shave, cigar and licorice all coming together. Tannin is still dominant but acceptable. Well balanced of acidity with structure. Definitely drinking period as of now. I reckon peak in another 3-5 years
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3/16/2020 - Saadissimo Likes this wine: 97 Points
Another great showing by GPL. Big, succulent Pauillac!
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3/13/2020 - 5laton wrote:
Very nice, but with blacker fruit and softer tannins than I expected, and little in the way of tobacco or bell pepper nuances at this age. Must be the ripe vintage. I enjoyed this but thought it a poor value at the going rate of a bill. Lost a lot of energy on day 2, not encouraging for the long run.
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3/13/2020 - popopdrops wrote: 88 Points
Dekantert. for ung, vanskelig, vent minst 1 år.
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3/8/2020 - jmw17 Likes this wine:
Opened based on the recent notes and not disappointed at all. Nicely integrated and lively. Restrained and food friendly. Not quite secondary but in a great place; drank with and without food and spooned over lemon gelato (!). Go for it
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3/6/2020 - Alvarovazquez Likes this wine: 93 Points
This is a beauty now. No decanting needed, decorked it two hours before drinking. Floral and subtle perfume. Tannins softened. A classic Pauillac in mouth with a delicate pencil touch. It may live for ten to fifteen years more but it’s more than ready to enjoy now. Considering its price I would say this is a good suggestion of a 2009 to taste now.
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2/29/2020 - RED AND BLACK wrote: 92 Points
Very good, really classic Pauillac. Starting to drink well now, so still young and long life ahead. Very good wine in a very good vintage. 92+
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2/13/2020 - NickA Likes this wine: 92 Points
Served blind. Coolish pencil-lead nose. Nice acidity, quite classic. Mouthwatering, moreish, pretty long with sweet red fruit on the finish. Tannins are still present, but fine and not obtrusive - at the start of its window. Really nice wine.
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11/21/2019 - SGoenophile Likes this wine: 94 Points
Dinner at Jade Palace. No detailed notes. Hard to go wrong with a competent producer from a great vintage. Concentrated ripe fruits and well structured. Doesn’t quite reach the heights of fellow Pauillac producers Pichon Baron and Pontet Canet 2009s (tasted some months back) but very enjoyable nonetheless.
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10/28/2019 - Keith Cooper Likes this wine: 90 Points
Tasted at The Wine Society's Bordeaux tasting, London. Rusty ruby colour, slight orangeness. Lovely rich nose, blackcurrants. Classic Pauillac palate, young, rich, full. This wine undoubtedly has huge potential and probably needs 8-10 years to reach its peak. But it's great now if you can't wait.
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10/25/2019 - matlee89 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Very 2009, but yet retains classic GPL - pencil shavings, dark fruit, hint of methol. Awesome nose and still very rich and primary. Years to go.
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10/20/2019 - libero wrote: 93 Points
Same as past May note. Delicious !
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10/11/2019 - Tony T Likes this wine: 93 Points
Drinks well already, but will probably improve with a couple of years of further cellaring.
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9/23/2019 - jerry6 wrote: 94 Points
drinking well now , nose of cherries and berries ,will hold last bottles 5 years to see ifit improves
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9/20/2019 - Jeff Leve wrote: 95 Points
Still holding on to its youth, this is clearly a great vintage for Grand Puy Lacoste. Reserved, and showy, although it is a bit more restrained than flamboyant, the wine is full-bodied, concentrated, rich, ripe and fleshy. The red fruits are sweet, bright and generous on the palate and in the finish. Give this another 5 years or so and enjoy it over the next 20 years after that!
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8/25/2019 - vinopa wrote: 93 Points
Beautiful wine with dark fruits, lead pencil and hint of tobacco on the nose. Drinking well now
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7/7/2019 - Yagil wrote: 93 Points
Ramat-Aviv Boys meeting (at my home): medium-deep ruby
pronounced aromas intensity of roasted plums, dry ripe black cherries, raspberries, cranberries, oak-vanilla, forest floor, eucalyptus, mint, black tea, leather;
developing;
dry, high acidity, med+ tannins, med abv (13.5%), full body, pronounced flavours intensity consistent with the aromas, long finish; outstanding!
can drink now - suitable for further aging
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7/5/2019 - John McCabe wrote: 95 Points
Delicious, better than before - so much sweet creme-de-casis, black fruit, so much lift and decadence. I had this standing upright in my cabinet for a few days - maybe it helped settle it. What a lovely treat.
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6/20/2019 - englishman's claret wrote: 95 Points
A better wine than the example last night, for this still shows a raspberry and redcurrant character but now it's inflected with cassis, pencil, and a touch of cedar. Much more classical than the prior example. Nice grip on the palate, supple in the style of 09 but not at all hot or over-worked. Finishes well. Very good indeed.
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6/19/2019 - englishman's claret wrote: 94 Points
The 2009 GPL is an interesting wine - in this vertical, it shows slightly atypically in its feminine nature. Plush, rosy nose, full of currant but actually quite elegant. A little spirity on the palate perhaps, but in a kirsch way rather than showing any untoward heat. Doesn't seem destined for a particularly long life, but perhaps it's just the bottle, the time, or the decanting time for the particular bottle. Curious to get at this again soon.
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5/20/2019 - gouldcampbell77 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Youthful ruby purple. Indistinct nose of tea leaves, a hint of cigar box and just a tad gamey. On the palate this is rich, thick and concentrated but never jammy or over ripe. Just lovely ripe fruit and sandy tannins - there's something distinctly Napa about this. Just a bit of charred oak protruding on the finish but overall, absolutely delicious. Ready now but clearly has years ahead.
Went online and ordered a case after the first glass. This is right up my street.
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5/16/2019 - libero wrote: 93 Points
By now this bottle is 10 years old. Medium to dark red, it has few legs going down quickly. Licorice and others aromas that I am not capable of identifying. Smooth and round with a slight long dry finishing. All in all a Great Pauillac !
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4/18/2019 - vinhonotte Likes this wine: 92 Points
Fine Wines SG - “Judgement of Paris” Bordeaux Blend Dinner (The Communal Bistro Delicacy - CBD): Floral, and quite a good amount of blackberries and grass. A good fleshy body and kind of eases on me
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4/16/2019 - dnnk88 wrote: 91 Points
Spices, wet forest floor, liquorice aroma, then opening up to an espresso and vanilla bouquet. Initial black fruits, tar, gravel and peppers palate with a slight cheesy tertiary. Finish of liquorice but not long. Velvety and rounded; full bodied. This is rather direct without much depth and complexity. Open now and good for many years ahead.
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3/19/2019 - John McCabe wrote: 94 Points
This has improved a bit over time, showing pretty well now. Has creme de casis, nice black fruit. Will benefit from more time though - not one of the more accessible of the '09 vintage.
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3/15/2019 - bonedoc wrote:
Popped cork and drank 5 hours later. NIce texture, but lackluster
fruit here - the midpalate tasted like day old coffee. Maybe more time or a decant, but this was disappointing. 88
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2/28/2019 - chanukha Likes this wine: 92 Points
Bit closed at the moment.
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2/28/2019 - dream wrote:
Perfect ripeness of dark fruits. Tannic and structured and not overdone. Rather full and rich for a GPL at this stage with very fine tannins. Delicious already but will improve. 92+
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2/9/2019 - PMJak11 Likes this wine: 95 Points
45+ minute decant and that was perfect. Definitely has years left in it, but not as many as you would think. Classic Bordeaux nose. Wine is filled with tar, graphite, cherry, and smoke. Medium plus finish. More power than I would have expected, but quite lovely.
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2/3/2019 - 87tellub Likes this wine: 91 Points
PnP notes before a decant: Nice sweet cedar and tobacco, dark ripe blackberry, even a little floral. Texture is very plush and silky. Medium to full in body. Finishes with a spicy kick.
After a ~3 hour decant the nose actually seemed to close down a bit, but a big swirl brought it back out again.
I think the component that stood out most to me about this bottle was the texture.
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1/13/2019 - winelegends.net wrote: 94 Points
94
Dunkles Rot.
Trinke relativ selten Bordeaux,aber dieser gefällt mir doch sehr gut.
Viel Tabakkiste,schöne dunkle Fruchtnoten,sehr Tief,balanciert,leicht prägend,erdig,langer dunkelfruchtiger Abgang.
Klar noch sehr jung aber trotzdem schön zu trinken,einfach ein paar Stunden vorher öffnen,verschliesst sich auch nicht.
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12/3/2018 - John McCabe wrote: 93 Points
Drinking well, has some typical left bank power, creme de casis, some led pencil. Was hoping for a bit more though. From a half bottle.
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11/30/2018 - Kevin Cheng Likes this wine: 94 Points
This was opened for a friend's birthday and I went into this wine quite biased - GPL has been one of my favourite Chateau and I thoroughly enjoyed this bottle despite it was opened at a restaurant as a BYOB and lacked any form of decanting or even time. Still, quintessentially Pauillac at a budget, great complexity, fine tannins. Birthday boy was happy as was I. Couldn't help but think that in a better setting with more time and glassware, this should drink even better.
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10/14/2018 - casoe Likes this wine: 94 Points
Unmistakely good Bordeaux. Still too young and a little rough. Evolved significantly in the glass but was never a close match to the Sassicaia 2009 it was matched with.
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9/29/2018 - valedeniro wrote: 96 Points
What a wonderful bottle ! Expressive nose of black and red fruit ,crème de cassis,exotic spices,blond tobacco and some floral notes.A palate with laser precision and rich fruit,impeccably balanced with silky smooth tannins,freshness and grip.If you like your wine young,this is beautiful.The depth and intensity were there without overextracting the wine.I love this wine and I love GPL in great years.
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9/28/2018 - RickyT12 Likes this wine: 93 Points
PNP
Great wine from the start. Excellent transitions. Starts with fruit, next hour is leather and forest, last hour is hint of tobacco and lots of coffee. Well rounded nose, a bit light on the mouth feel, but really elegant wine. Plum skin, tobacco, and coffee on the nose. Hint of vanilla on the nose. Flavors are coffee, red berry, red currant, sour cherry, good 20 second finish. Sharp tastes. Great cost performance, and drinking very nicely right now. Young but enjoyable. Tannins are not too crazy.
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7/15/2018 - carlturcotte Likes this wine: 94 Points
Smooth and complex. Not as strong as common Pauillac. Very long finish. Ok to drink now but will stay alive for years and years.
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7/15/2018 - europat55 wrote: 91 Points
Great Pauillac nose (A-/A). Excellent palate (B+/B++), but still a little bit tannic and likely nowhere near its peak.
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12/2/2017 - stayhappy21 wrote: 91 Points
Brought this to our regular year end wine session at Summer Palace, Ritz-Carlton Hotel.
Decanted for 4 hours prior to serving. Far from ready, in my humble opinion. Dark purple in colour with notes of violets, blueberries, and rosewood. Heavy on the body with a sharp, razor like focus. Some wild mushrooms and dried, crushed herbs on the mid-palate.
This wine exhibits great potential which is not revealing at this stage. The tannins are highly evident at this stage, layering the velvet-like texture and silky finish.
Highly restrained and reserved, do consider giving it another 5 to 10 years before opening the next bottle.
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11/24/2017 - mpdonnel Likes this wine: 93 Points
From 375. While a bit young, was drinking beautifully. Redcurrant and cedar dominated the nose, with some additional earthy notes found on the palate. The tannins were present and the fruit restrained, but clean, together very balanced. Very excited to try again with some additional time in bottle, but quite nice already.
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11/2/2017 - JonnyG wrote: flawed
A corked magnum (at a restaurant, at least). Underneath the flaw was a forward and approachable wine evidencing a creaminess I tend to like in GPL, despite its young age.
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5/15/2017 - hackey37 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Good clarity, dense opaque inky purple color. The smells are cedar box, currant, blackberry, soy, herbs and earthy notes. The tastes are cedar, vanilla, dill, blackberry, currant, soy, tea leave, and earth. The wine is complex, with some heat on the backside. The tannins are furry and velvety and firm.
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5/5/2017 - libero Likes this wine: 93 Points
This bottle of chateau Gran-Puy-Lacoste, from Padillac is by bow 8 years old. Medium red and tons of purple is clear with a rim filling the glass . Round, sub due tannins, aromas of wild open field with berries and flowers. It deserves a 93 RP scale of 80 to 100.
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2/11/2017 - felixp Likes this wine: 93 Points
From magnum.
Tasted along side the St Julien Lagrange from the same year, this was far less flamboyant at this stage, and I felt it a little closed, particularly on the nose. Blackberry, earth and violets, this was very long but at this stage didn't have the complexity of the Lagrange. I suspect this needs a full decade before it begins to really strut it's stuff. I certainly wouldn't touch for at least five years.
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1/21/2017 - nmichaud1 wrote:
Comparer à Pontet-Canet bu la semaine derniere, je trouve celui-çi plus profond et plus en finesse. J'ai bcp apprécié ce vin et j'ai hâte de le comparer ce soir à plusieurs autres bordeaux
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1/14/2017 - Jean-Philippe M Likes this wine:
Bien heureux d'avoir bu Pontet-Canet 2008 la veille, je peux comparer et je me suis rendu compte que je préfère la finesse de Lacoste. Les tannins sont fins, en bouche on a des fruits rouges pas encore confituré, de la truffe, de l'anis étoilé, du cèdre, légèrement boisé. J'ai adoré cette bouteille. C'est à acheter.
4/5
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1/2/2017 - Nojomoschwa Likes this wine: 93 Points
Bought this almost four years ago to the day at Zachys for what was probably too much (just the wrong side of $100). Anyway, I know it was probably too young to open it, but it was New Year's, so what the hell. Very happy we did. It will certainly get better over the next 10-15 years, but it was already delicious when decanted 5 hours before serving. Very classic Pauillac, with a slight sweetness of fruit (in Left Bank BDX context!) that was not unwelcome. Incredibly suave, with a lot of surety and quite a long finish. This was marvelous on Day 1 and Day 3 (skipped Day 2 to finish other bottles). Will age will for sure, but don't be afraid to open and try if you have a few bottles.
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9/14/2016 - wineappreciation wrote: 90 Points
Blackberry, blueberry, hints of cigar and even cinnamon; smooth, rounded, long-lived, touch of spicy; obviously a little young; well structured but not overly interesting
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8/6/2016 - asteff wrote: 94 Points
Black currants, dust, cedar, plum, dark macerated strawberry, a hint of herbs.
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5/24/2016 - SonnyChiba wrote: 93 Points
93+. Drank surprising well with a bit of a decant. Red licorice on the nose. Bright fruits, red currants, strawberry. Really beautiful wine. Drank together with 10' GPL and this was much more open for business.
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4/1/2016 - blanquito wrote:
Hard to judge this baby amidst all these mature classics. The nose is really garish with almost sickly sweet ripeness and stewed fruit. The palate is much more restrained and has good stuffing. I will hide my bottles away for 10-15 years and hope this develops like the '82.
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3/14/2016 - Yagil wrote: 93 Points
2009 Bordeaux tasting (at my home): uncorked 10 hours prior to tasting
dark opaque red-purple with black tones
excellent dark fruits nose with leather and chocolate notes
full bodied, firm tannins, excellent balance, harmony, structure & complexity. chocolate & dark coffee. mushroom and sous-bois. long excellent aftertaste. can be enjoyed now but its optimal period is still way ahead.
after 36 hours: excellent!
after 48 hours: the wine became partially oxidised; still drinkable in a way
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2/14/2016 - Sixchips600 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Had this with 09 leoville Barton and lascombes. This was favorite by a small margin. Nice tobacco, cigar box, cassis, earth, black fruits. Palate had the most elegance of the 3. The most compete.
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2/8/2016 - 82Latour Likes this wine: 92 Points
Backwards and unevolved; black currant, cedar, hint of Bret, mid+ finish. 92-94.
Hold and don't tempt with opening. While the 2009s have been fruit forward and approachable this is not one of them.
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1/7/2016 - PanosKakaviatos Likes this wine: 93 Points
I disagree with some critics who have said that this is somewhat lightweight. The wine - tasted and thoroughly enjoyed - from half bottle has that gorgeous seashell freshness you can get from top notch Medoc wines. There is black fruit, ripe and all, but a refreshing aspect that keeps you coming back for more. And the underlying structure is there for long term aging. My sister came over for dinner and I had prepared seared sea bass with a 2002 Puligny Montrachet and then decided to have this GPL from half. Needless to say, it did not last long (and my sister is not a quantities person). So I opened another one. Dangerously delicious.
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10/23/2015 - wineordeath Likes this wine: 89 Points
Restrained nose of sweet cassis with some leather. Palate a bit fat and round. Just a bit fat.
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8/31/2015 - j30 wrote:
Decanted 2 hours. Its classic Bordeaux nose was already open. Good fruits, palate was still quite tight but the tannins were fine. Quite powerful and great potential.
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7/17/2015 - farinas wrote: 92 Points
Dark currants, bloody beef, solid fleshy fruit, quite approachable, some graphite on the back palate. Medium length. Not completely sold on GPL but I can definitely sense it's potential.
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7/6/2015 - Zweder wrote: 93 Points
Weekly tasting group #174; A mixed set: white, red and sweet. (@ RW with a BBQ): Still very youthful and luxurious bouquet with cassis and other dark forest fruits, cigar box and beautifully dosed oak. Same impressions on the palate, beautiful acidity and tannin and full bodied, but much too young. The finesse already shows in this harmonious wine, but it will be wise to wait until 2023 or a bit later. 92 - 94+ for tonight.
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7/6/2015 - Zweder wrote: flawed
Weekly tasting group #174; A mixed set: white, red and sweet. (@ RW with a BBQ): This bottle was heavily corked which is the bad news. On the other hand good the cork was pulled today, otherwise it would be a great disappointment a decade from today. Luckily there was a second bottle which was great.
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6/23/2015 - NostraBacchus Likes this wine: 94 Points
First closed, but opened up with some more air. Reticent and very elegant and classic nose of blackcurrant, tobacco, cedar wood, some crushed flowers and some minerality. On the palate there are also some spices, cigar tobacco and some coffee. Medium-full bodied and dense but with incredible finesse and elegance, it has medium-high super silky tannin and medium-high acidity. Long and complex finish. A very beautiful, classic but silky and elegant GPL. Still very young at the moment but give it a few more years and watch the magic develop.
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11/25/2014 - William Kelley Likes this wine: 95 Points
2009 is a beautiful vintage for Château Grand Puy Lacoste, and the Borie family have produced a wine of unimpeachable classicism which seems to gain in delineation and style every year. The bouquet offers up an attractively ripe melange of blackcurrant, cedar, wet gravel and incipient hints of cigar box, with only subtle oak nuances that are already very well integrated. On the palate the wine is deep, very intense, with extremely velvety tannins, as the vintage has clearly mitigated some of GPL's typical youthful truculence. What is interesting is that the wine is developing to find more focus and tension, and is generally beginning to taste more like the 2005 than it did a few years ago, which is surely a very good sign. A brilliant Pauillac.
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9/30/2014 - ledocq Likes this wine:
From a 375. Taking note of all the "too young!" comments, I decanted at 10 AM. Drank at 5.
It's too young. I appreciate the notes below citing all the various tastes found herein -- I could taste, more or less, tannins. I'll be back around 2020 for another glass. Love the GPL.
AND: we left about a half-glass left in the bottle. Put the cork back in and forgot about it. Three days later my girlfriend finished it off -- she said it was fantastic, way better than the '66 Latour we'd had the night before, and she wants more. So shall it be.
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9/24/2014 - Jeff Leve wrote: 94 Points
Charming, supple, round style of Pauillac that is a treat in your mouth and on your palate. Still a baby, this could develop into a more exciting wine in the years to come.
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8/30/2014 - RayOB wrote: 91 Points
Drank in Bordeaux
Developing nicely but still very young. Classic Paulliac nose with more power and depth. Need to come back in 5 years.
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7/22/2014 - RickyT12 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Big leather, Forrest, mushroom, black currant, dust nose. Very dark red color. Lots of layers that are not exactly showing yet. Sharp sour cherry taste. Medium light weight. High acid. Lots of leather on the taste, but lacking a bit of fruit. Some cranberry and under ripe blueberry flavors. Tannins super strong. A little watermelon peel on the nose. Should be some amazing stuff in 10 years.
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2/24/2014 - John McCabe wrote: 94 Points
This had a lot going on. Really not ready to drink yet - less because of it being backward or too tannic but more that it's too flabby and unformed - it hasn't settled down yet. It's clear that this is pretty nice stuff though. Looking forward to my next bottles and I hope I can wait a few years before opening the next one. I do think the older style of this is more appealing though - I think back to the '96 which was utterly amazing.
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12/30/2013 - RayOB wrote: 90 Points
Drank in Bordeaux
Nose of Tar, leather, earth, cassis and vanilla. Smooth complex palate with a medium length. It is nice but not as good as I was expecting. Will come back in a couple of years.
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11/24/2013 - MarcS wrote: 88 Points
Rather disappointed in this wine. I love GPL for its classical style, but this was clumsy and excessively alcoholic. Pitch black color. Rich and heady scent that lacks nuance. Flavors of fig paste, leather, sweet jammy fruit, and alcohol. Very thick and black-fruited. Lacks balance and elegance. Also, the alcohol level is way higher than the label figure of 13.5 -- got to be flirting with 15. Definitely goes to your head. Doesn't handle its alcohol or volume as well as even some of the 'fruit bomb' right bank wines from 2009 that normally work in this kind of style. Perhaps the year got away from them.
I'm not sure this is the kind of issue that works itself out with aging. GPL is normally a wine I go long on and I have over half a case of this left, maybe I need to work out a way to sell or trade it. If you like this style you will like it better than I did -- my partner enjoys Amarone and Port and she appreciated this wine a lot more than I. But don't come to it expecting a graceful left bank Bordeaux.
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10/26/2013 - the player Likes this wine: 91 Points
Thank God my second bottle was pristine. Blackish deep crimson color, that juicy nose of blackberries, cassis, leather and slight hint of oak, opulent nose reflective of this outstanding vintage. Lush entry on the palate, nicely balanced mid palate with gobs of black fruits and a decent finish for this medium bodied Pauillac, tannins present due to the wine's youth but tempered beautifully by the richness of fruit and opulence of the vintage. Nice indeed.
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9/30/2013 - RickyT12 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Decanted for 2 hours. A bit of closed nose, but nice. Dry. Great blueberry ripe cherry, hints of nuts on backend. 92+. Really nice. Very young and seems to have a lot of years to go.
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9/28/2013 - SonnyChiba wrote: 92 Points
92-93 pts. Liked this one quite a bit. Would be hard to pick this as a Bordeaux right away. Nose was a bit closed down, but had some jammy aspects lingering in the background, and some alcohol. Beautiful texture, very velvety and silky smooth. Layers of dark fruits, currant, and plums, almost like a nice Mendoza malbec. Good amounts of raspberry jam as well, plush and firm tannins, but surprisingly approachable right now. Elegant and nicely done. I am a fan.
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9/5/2013 - OmiyaDrinker Likes this wine: 92 Points
Black like most 09s. Lovely cassis, raspberry, mocha nose. Powerful attack with velvety mid-palate. Lovely balance and acidity with silky tannin. Similar precision and tension as other high quality 09s - difficult to describe and but a defining element particularly for Paulliac.
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5/27/2013 - JimN Likes this wine: 92 Points
Through a vinturi and a five hour decant. Didn't drink, so back in the bottle overnight and another two hours in decanter the next day. Very classy stuff. Amazing how drinkable right now. Clearly Bordeaux but with a New World twist. Very ripe and primary right now with supple tannins. Elegant and balanced. Bordeaux and Napa fans loved it.
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4/4/2013 - Myownscale wrote: 94 Points
Nose:
Floral, barnyard
Palate:
almost spicy, leather, tannin, berry, a lot happening, could drink now
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3/14/2013 - blanquito wrote: 90 Points
It has a big, expressive bouquet with notes of uber-ripe black currants (think Ribena), violets, dust, cinnamon, and menthol with no obvious new oak. To taste, there's lots of iodine and minerals, very cassis, spicy, with a good pop of lemony acidity despite the ripeness. Medium to full-bodied with silky tannins, not a monster structure but with very late hit of tannic constriction on the tongue. This is wide-open, primary and young to be sure, but there's nothing closed or inscrutible about this. 90-92 pts.
The mid palate and finish are reassuringly good and show some restraint/class, and doesn't seem like it will fall apart like some walking-dead Rolland zombies. Will this develop the complexity and texture of the great clarets of yore, or will it remain a pleasant, simple 90-pointer? I dunno, but right now I dislike those notes of overripeness on the nose and attack. Ribena in my Pauillac? I like it a lot more the a 75-pt wine, but Jal's note below has a point (though this half-bottle shows no oaky vanilla, but there may be some Chilean merlot in the bouquet).
Overall, a GPL with a split personality, taking something from California, something Bordeaux. If this were a young Cali cab, I'd probably be much higher on this, but this is a Grand Cru Classe from Pauillac, not some hippie investor winemaker's weekend hobby. Clearly, this appears different than the great GPLs of old, but I never had the 82, 90 or 95 on release. What I can say with confidence, this 2009 certainly is different -- not necessarily worse, maybe even better, but definitely different -- than the 00/01 GPLs which I tasted young.
This is ripe and pretty modern, is that just the 09 vintage showing through and will this settle down after 15 years? Time will tell, but this doesn't have the gravitas of the 2005, so maybe this is just a global-warming wine.
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3/8/2013 - dpolivy Likes this wine: 92 Points
Vindredi (Bellevue, WA): Tasted blind. Ripe, pretty nose of fruit and spice. Lovely. Red, juicy fruit followed by a med+ finish and medium size tannins. Soft on the palate, though a touch one dimensional at this time.
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1/27/2013 - miadelt wrote:
Did not decant long enough. Too tannic and too young to properly evaluate. Medium bodied at this stage.
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1/16/2013 - jal Does not like this wine: 75 Points
Vanilla, oak, jammy hot and sweet. Absolutely disgusting. Where are the high ratings coming from? This wine is modern, resembles in no way the great GPLs of old. Awful
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11/27/2012 - drjb wrote: 95 Points
Deep crimson color. Nose beautiful perfume of cassis, raspberry, cedar and oyster shell. Palate graceful yet full and luscious with quite fine but persistent tannins. great length and composure will ensure a long life and drinking window. The first of my cellar collection - very impressive.
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11/12/2012 - wenderoth wrote: 88 Points
2009 Bordeaux Masterclass, Hilton Hotel, Sydney. Tasted blind. Another impenetrable wine. Medium purple. Closed nose with perhaps some savoury, leafy notes. Medium to full bodied. Sweet black plum and cassis with strong cedary flavours from dominant oak. Lovely tannins. Long finish. Again, I cannot judge this now - needs 10 years.
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11/2/2012 - Arch57 wrote: 94 Points
Decided to bring 2 Bordeaux's to the lake, an 03 Leoville Barton and an 09 Grand-Puy_Lacoste and I would decide what to drink on Friday evening. Well after reading about how accessible the 09's are I decided on the Lacoste. My initial impression was when the heck did they bottle this wine? It tastes like a mature Claret which means this vintage is indeed approachable young. I have not touched any of my high-end 05's and am starting to think about the 03's but this was open for business. I wonder if the 09's will shutdown?
Opened about 2 hours before dinner and decanted 1/2 the bottle. Took an initial sip prior to splashing in the decanter and said wow! There was that classic Bdx pencil lead on the nose and some nice dark fruit. I opened a 2010 Ch St Michelle Cab as the opener and if this was a symphony it played one note, fruit, fruit, fruit. Then as I finished dinner preparations we sat down with a glass of the GPL and what a difference this symphony makes with all kinds of notes. Notes of tobacco, cedar, cigar box and my wife who likes her wines smooth and aged remarked how velvety this was. Classic Bordeaux experience and will save my last bottle for 5, 10 maybe 15 years depending on how thirsty I get over that time.
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10/28/2012 - AudunG wrote: 96 Points
Very Pauillac on the nose, with red berries and graphite. Intense, elegant and harmonious on the palate. Good acidity for the vintage. Intense and sharp core. Accessible at the moment due to its soft tannins, but seems to have a long life ahead of it. A personal favorite.
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10/18/2012 - canan wrote: 92 Points
Horisontal - Misc Bordeaux 2009: Nose: Quite restrained, sewer, green bell pepper, stalks.
Palate: Sweet and creamy plum fruit, medium acidity.
A little simple and boring but it does seem quite closed.
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10/12/2012 - clairenclarence wrote: 92 Points
a rather gd balance wine.all tis bttl nd is time to integrate all components into 1.the onli ting i wud like tis bttl has is slightly more depth
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7/23/2012 - Kriz wrote: 93 Points
It starts with the purple foam in your glass... That aristocratic famous Pauillac nose of cedar combined with very ripe berries. Popped and poured. More accessible than an '09 Poujeaux I had yesterday. The wine attrackts fruit flies and that says a lot about it's fruitiness. This is great now and will be during it's long, long life if you have self-control to let it mature in your cellar.
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6/7/2012 - vinopa wrote: 95 Points
Basemess stole my thunder. Could not describe this bottle any better..Cheers!!
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5/30/2012 - DonalOB wrote: 92 Points
Grande Bordeaux Tasting, 2009 (Harbour Grand Kowloon, Hong Kong): Nice, balanced but not profound.
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5/12/2012 - PIntag wrote: 92 Points
Red Bordeaux 2009 (Hi-Times Wine Cellar, Costa Mesa, CA): $91.99. Big expansive nose showing currant and some savory notes. On the palate, gorgeous deep, dark fruit with excellent balance, leading to a very long finish.
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2/7/2012 - Jeff Leve wrote: 93 Points
This seductive vintage of Grand Puy Lacoste was produced from a blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc. Cedar wood, gravel, cassis and cigar box scents led to a plush, soft, sophisticated Pauillac. Lacking the levels of concentration found in the 2010, the wine is made in a beautiful, inviting style that should drink great after 5-7 years of age.
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1/31/2012 - Vino Me wrote: 91 Points
2009 Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux Tasting; 1/27/2012-1/31/2012 (Sheraton Hotel & Towers, Chicago, Illinois): 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc. I've never had this on release so I did not know what to expect although I've had a few older bottles. Sweet nose. Notes of tobacco and cedar. Not much fruit now. Firm tannins. Doesn't seem that this will approach the excellent 1989 but still and very good wine. 90-91 points.
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1/29/2012 - mike410 wrote: 95 Points
Union Des Grands Crus de Bordeaux Tasting (MONTREAL). Very well done. Nice floral nose and taste. Refined. Very well balanced.
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1/27/2012 - lumpyelbow wrote:
Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux 2009 (Metro Toronto Convention Centre, Toronto, ON): Excellent. Round with fabulous structure.
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1/26/2012 - Wine Sparty wrote: 94 Points
UGC 2009 Bordeaux Tasting (Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers): Dark fruit and spice & black pepper on the nose. Taste is very smooth with a very nice mix of dark fruit, tobacco and oak. Moderate tannins, so the fruit still gets to shine. Tasted twice, with consistent notes.
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1/25/2012 - amateurwino wrote: 95 Points
Nice stone/crushed rock aromas on the nose here; excellent balance with very pleasing, fullish fruit here, without going over the top. With a sweet perfumey note as well, there's an excellent balance between fruit, acidity, minerality - really good stuff. 94-96. Right up there with the Leoville Barton. Great Bordeaux typicity. Factoring in price, this is one to look for in this great vintage.
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1/25/2012 - Faryan wrote:
UGC 2009 Bordeaux Tasting - NYC - 1.25.12 (New York City): One of my top three of the tasting, and it garners this title partly because one doesn’t have to crack a thousand dollars to buy a case of it. I’d love to line this wine up against a recent vintage Latour and serve them blind; it is that good. What the GPL has that many of the other Pauillacs tasted seemed to miss was the freshness and nervosity on the nose that I began in my preamble. Great lift and floral elements on the nose that is simply gorgeous. Far less backward than the 06 and 05 GPLs; this wine is not draped in imposing tannins like those vintages. It is subdued and elegant; qualities I think will make for better aging in a vintage that may have some risk-factor for long-term cellaring. Simply superb and a wine I will seek to buy. (94-98+)
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1/20/2012 - MattTM wrote:
Union des Grands Grus 2009 Bordeaux Tasting (Petersen Automotive Museum, Los Angeles): Lots of barnyard on the nose, followed by saddle leather, black cherry, and lead pencil. More earthy barnyard on the palate, along with black cherries, dark plums, lead pencil shavings, and a ton of leather. Dusty tannins, with a medium finish ending on a note of lead pencil. Maybe this was a bit closed, but to be honest I was underwhelmed on this showing. Good.
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10/18/2011 - vespasian wrote: 95 Points
Quite deeply coloured; fantastic nose - really seductive red fruit tinged with velvety cassis (if you can imagine it!); silky palate - very elegant. Huge concentration. Very long and complete. Refined finish. Excellent. 94-96.
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11/16/2010 - dave747400 wrote: 91 Points
Farr Christmas Tasting 2010: Lovely thread of bright fruit & fresh acidity. Refreshing at the end of a long arduous tasting (poor me!). Long & savoury. £575/cs (Sal 91 pts)
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8/26/2010 - Jeff Leve wrote: 93 Points
2009 Grand Puy Lacoste is ruby colored, with an open nose of jammy dark berries, cassis, herbs, and coffee. The wine ends with cassis and black cherry flavors. Although a nice style of Grand Puy Lacoste, the wine lacks the depth and concentration found in the top vintages like 82, 90, 96, 00 & 05. Because Grand Puy Lacoste is difficult to pronounce in Chinese, the wine is known as the “Crocodile Wine” in Asia because of the association with the Lacoste name and the bottle and the logo used by the sportswear company. 92/94 Pts
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