Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste 2011

Great aromatic potential, finely polished tannins, a full, seamless and tightly knit mouthfeel, with a long aromatic finish of flowers and berries. Stunning.

The dense ruby/purple-colored 2011 Grand Puy Lacoste exhibits a charming, open-knit bouquet of red and black fruits. It is a savory, medium-bodied, flavorful, well-endowed Pauillac from Xavier Borie that can be enjoyed over the next 10-15+ years.

Shows purity and focus, with a core of bitter plum, cassis and lightly singed vanilla notes leading to a silky, relatively unadorned finish that glides along. Flickers of cedar and iron should emerge with cellaring. Best from 2015 through 2025.

Reflecting the fruity, forward style of the vintage, this wine is packed with ripe black currants. There is a strong Cabernet character—it's dry initially, then followed by juiciness. It's a concentrated wine, although not for long-term aging. Drink from 2017.

The savoury, floral edge of Cabernet on gravel is fully on display, and it needs time in the glass to soften and unroll. After a few minutes, the smoky side comes out, and the lean but concentrated berry fruit, although the tannins are a little crunchy. Delicious, a very classic Pauillac, full of pencil lead and crushed stone. 75% new oak.

The licorice, tar and spice character with dried fruits and currants impresses me. Full body with firm tannins and a chewy finish. This is even better now than from barrel. Better in 2019.

Black cherry colour. Bright and breezy cassis aroma, fragrant. Lively, juicy and harmonious. Tannins are pretty chewy and thick but not hard. Honest and flavourful but a fine cedary finish. (JH)

The 2011 Grand Puy Lacoste feels a little more open than its peers, scents of black cherries, star anise and juniper, playful and full of energy. The palate is ripe and quite sweet on the entry, good body, even a bit viscous in texture with a plush and generous, lightly spiced finish. Thoroughly enjoyable, though it just misses a sense of direction and precision. I will seek to reassess this at the château. Tasted blind at the annual 10-Year-On tasting.

Cocoa, black cherry, earth and tobacco scents pair with this medium bodied, lighter, fresh, forward style of Pauillac. Give it a few years to improve.

Dark ruby garnet, purple reflections, delicately smoky, animalistic touch, some menthol, black forest berries, candied orange zest in the background. Medium body, fine nougat, good freshness, cherries, integrated, ripe tannins, chocolaty nuances on the finish, savoury aftertaste, long-lasting, full of certain ageing potential.

Playful red-berry bouquet with ripe morello cherries, sandalwood and milk chocolate, followed by liquorice and lingonberry juice. On the sublime palate, a creamy texture, perfectly ripe, finely supportive tannins and a medium body. The aromatic, focused finish shows red-berry definition, caramel and a supportive graphite note. Bravo!

78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot. Dark garnet, quite deep at the core, ruby rim. Floral, spicy Cabernet notes, tobacco leaf, showing a hint of violet too, then blackberry and blackcurrant, medium intensity. On the palate, plenty of substance, almost delicate in its perfume, a long, drawn-out body with fine astringency. An honest, feminine GPL—very true to the vintage. (17/20). 17: Still a little closed. That holds back current enjoyment, but it’s a good sign for later.

(78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot, 40 hl/ha) Deep, spicy, powerful, dark, sweet bouquet: blackcurrant, tobacco, cedar, liquorice, smoke. Balanced, elegant, full palate with a dense structure, intense, refined fruit, plenty of fine tannin, rich, sweet aromatics, and a long, aromatic finish with excellent lingering flavours. 18/20 2019 - 2038

The 10 year window for this wine, and it has softened up a little even over the past 6 months since I tasted it for 10 Years On. Sculpted, a little austere, and majors on the rose bud, cassis bud and ash aromatics that suggest a cooler vintage - this year was extremely dry for much of it, but not hot. Juicy redcurrant and blackcurrant fruits, a classic Grand Puy Lacoste in the line of 2014 and 2016, ticking plenty of house-style boxes, making it a great choice for lovers of this estate. No need to wait too long from now, although it will hold. Harvest 15 to 29 September.

Medium to deep garnet in color, the 2011 Grand-Puy-Lacoste opens with lifted notes of Morello cherries, raspberry leaves, and cassis, plus suggestions of black truffles and cast-iron pan. The medium-bodied palate is just a tad thin and chewy in the middle, with pleasant restraint and savory freshness on the finish.

Over two years, the wine has gained in body and definition, with blueberry notes that are surprising in their freshness.

Crafted from beautifully ripe grapes, this fine Pauillac offers a wonderfully velvety texture. It is supple and approachable, with excellent fruit density and not a hint of aggressive tannin.

A fruity nose showing strawberry and prune notes. On the palate it lacks maturity (after all, you can’t really blame a kid for not being mature). A structured wine that reveals fruit on the finish but needs time to fully come into its own.

Dark, intense color, slightly evolved. A very aromatic nose with ripe fruit. A slightly mature nuance that gives the impression this wine is older. It becomes creamy with aeration and evokes the Right Bank. Delicate on entry, supple through the mid-palate, with a classy texture, the wine unfolds with savory character on a palate that is both melting and well-structured. The progression builds. It finishes with a long, complex finale rich in aromas. Superb. Ready to drink. Blend: 78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot.