Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste 2009

Performing better from bottle than it did from cask (and comparable to their wines 2005, 2000, 1990 and 1982), this is a great classic from Xavier Borie’s estate situated on the back roads west of the town of Pauillac. Its dense ruby/purple color is followed by hints of spring flowers, crushed rocks, black currants, cedar and earth/underbrush. Precise and elegant as well as backward and foreboding, it should put on weight in the bottle and evolve for two decades. Very concentrated as well as velvety-textured, it is a beauty of finesse, balance, purity and nobility. It will benefit from 5-7 more years of bottle age.

This is a step up, with ample black currant confiture and roasted fig notes allied to a racy graphite and iron spine. Very sleek through the finish, despite its heft, with a long finish filled with cassis bush and tobacco. Best from 2013 through 2025. 15,000 cases made.

A complex, dusty tannin wine, layering smoky wood and black fruits with a the firmest dry character. Very intense, rich, dense and potentially powerful.

I could have picked a first growth here – Pauillac has three – but this is a relatively good value fifth growth, making it accessible to more wine lovers, yet with so much signature Pauillac in its structure and flavours of pencil lead, liquorice, cassis and mint. On deep gravel terroir that’s made for Cabernet Sauvignon, and family owned by François-Xavier Borie and his daughter Emeline. Typically you wait for 10 years before opening classified Pauillac, or even longer in very structured vintages such as 2010 – but 2009 was a warm, generous year and is tasting great already.

Dark and delicately spicy, this very complete medium-full bodied 2009 is not a jot too ripe or too firm. Beautiful balance through the long polished finish. Drink or hold. (Horizontal Tasting, London, 2019)

70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc. Modern, smoky fruit. Plenty of ripeness. Very young structure, and certainly has the concentration to last. Serious stuff. (RH)

The 2009 Grand Puy-Lacoste has a clean and precise bouquet with graphite-infused red berry fruit, woodland scents, fern and touches of autumn leaves. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, quite bold and assertive, with dried blood and ferrous notes infusing the red fruit towards the persistent finish. You could broach this now, although I would prefer to leave it another couple of years, when it may well deserve a higher score. Tasted blind at Farr Vintners’ 2009 Bordeaux tasting.

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!

Dark ruby garnet with deep colour core, purple reflections, delicate brightening on the rim. Fine touch of precious wood, dark berries, black cherries, candied orange zest, fine earthy nuances, tobacco notes. Complex, sweet cherries, vivid, integrated tannins, good freshness, dark nougat on the finish, lingers long, already accessible, will benefit from further bottle ageing, so better wait another two or three years.

I loved the 2009, and like most 2009s, it has a ripe, sexy, yet still classic style that's evolving gracefully, with ample darker currant and black cherry fruits as well as tobacco leaf, cedar pencil, truffly earth, and spice box-like nuances. Rich, medium to full-bodied, and concentrated on the palate, with plenty of mid-palate depth and tannins, it's going to continue drinking brilliantly for another two decades. It needs an hour in a decanter if drinking any time soon.

80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc. 44 hl/ha. Deep purple-garnet with a lilac rim. Elegant bouquet with a hint of cedar and blue berries; medium intensity; black plums; a floral touch. Elegant on the palate, with lovely suppleness, delicately balanced with rounded, silky tannins, blueberries and licorice on the finish. A very delicate, refined wine, though this year it faces formidable competition in Pauillac.

80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc. 44 hl/ha. Rich purple-garnet, dense at the core, with a violet sheen at the rim. Elegant bouquet with a hint of cedar and blue berries, medium intensity, showing black plums and a subtle floral touch. Elegant palate, lovely suppleness, delicately balanced with round, smooth tannins, blueberry notes and liquorice on the finish. A very delicate, refined wine, though this year it faces formidable competition in Pauillac.

Dense, profound, elegant, silky bouquet with cedar, blackcurrant, tobacco, truffle, currants, and peppermint. Balanced, elegant, full-bodied palate with very good fruit, lots of fine tannins, and a dense, full, fresh aromatic profile featuring blackcurrant and dark chocolate. Very long, dense, multi-layered finish. 19/20 2016 - 2035

Here we are in classic Pauillac territory, still young even at 15 years old, with a ton of tannic grip, slate and pencil lead, cassis and cocoa bean, channeling tension, freshness and bright fruits. A wonderful example of the vintage, needs a few more years to really be in its drinking window, but this is exceptional quality. 70% new oak for ageing.

Medium to deep garnet in color, the 2009 Grand-Puy-Lacoste prances out with exuberant notes of chocolate-covered cherries, blackcurrant pastilles, and licorice, plus wafts of pencil shavings and tobacco leaf. The medium-bodied palate is soft and juicy, drinking deliciously now, finishing on a lingering exotic spice note.

Remarkable balance, noble tannins, the tension of a truly great terroir, with ageing in the great Médoc tradition. A classic.

Tasted en primeur, this 2009 revealed admirable, juicy fruit, with a beautiful texture and a very silky finish.

A precise, vibrant nose of intoxicating purity, drawing on all the fruit’s complexity and liveliness to transport you to another world. The palate is impeccable, combining a creamy, finely etched texture with pure fruit, blue-black like ink. A true favourite.

A complex, classic bouquet with good intensity, showing notes of cedar, blackberries and red berries. Floral nuances. A generous yet elegant opening. A seductive, well-balanced wine that is inviting and approachable, while offering excellent potential. Wonderful freshness and aromatic persistence.

Logo on the cork: inverted T (Trescases) The first bottle seemed tired, with an overripe nose. Here is the second, with the same cork supplier (Trescases). Dark, intense color, slightly evolved. Very aromatic nose, with ripe, vibrant fruit, becoming creamy and subtle in the glass. A hint of cedar when swirled. Caressing on the attack, smooth mid-palate with subtle flavors; the wine melts all along the palate, rather graceful, with a delicate return of tannin on the finish. You just can’t spit it out. Ready to drink. Blend: 80% cabernet sauvignon, 18% merlot, 2% cabernet franc.