Chateau Grand-Puy-Lacoste 2003
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Spectator
Wine -
Suckling
James
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
Blackberry and licorice aromas, with full body, very fine tannins and a long finish. Very silky. So much for jammy wines in 2003. Very fresh and refined.
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James Suckling
Very ripe and intense on the nose with a stewed strawberry and cherry character. Full bodied, with a very jammy palate but so much fruit going on here. Ripe fruit dominates this.
Other Vintages
2022- Vinous
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Parker
Robert - Decanter
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Suckling
James
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James - Decanter
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Parker
Robert
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Spectator
Wine - Decanter
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Dunnuck
Jeb -
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Robert
- Vinous
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Parker
Robert -
Suckling
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Spectator
Wine -
Dunnuck
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Spectator
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Wong
Wilfred -
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Spectator
Wine -
Dunnuck
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Enthusiast
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Wong
Wilfred -
Parker
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Guide
Connoisseurs' -
Enthusiast
Wine
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Suckling
James - Vinous
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Spectator
Wine - Decanter
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Enthusiast
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Parker
Robert -
Dunnuck
Jeb
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Suckling
James - Decanter
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Enthusiast
Wine -
Spectator
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Parker
Robert
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Spectator
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Enthusiast
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Suckling
James -
Parker
Robert
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Suckling
James -
Enthusiast
Wine -
Parker
Robert -
Spectator
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Suckling
James -
Enthusiast
Wine -
Spectator
Wine -
Parker
Robert
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Suckling
James - Decanter
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Enthusiast
Wine -
Spectator
Wine -
Parker
Robert
- Decanter
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Dunnuck
Jeb
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Suckling
James -
Spectator
Wine -
Parker
Robert -
Spirits
Wine &
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Spectator
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Parker
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Parker
Robert
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Parker
Robert
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Spectator
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Parker
Robert
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Parker
Robert -
Spectator
Wine
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Parker
Robert -
Spectator
Wine
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
The leader on the Left Bank in number of first growth classified producers within its boundaries, Pauillac has more than any of the other appellations, at three of the five. Chateau Lafite Rothschild and Mouton Rothschild border St. Estephe on its northern end and Chateau Latour is at Pauillac’s southern end, bordering St. Julien.
While the first growths are certainly some of the better producers of the Left Bank, today they often compete with some of the “lower ranked” producers (second, third, fourth, fifth growth) in quality and value. The Left Bank of Bordeaux subscribes to an arguably outdated method of classification that goes back to 1855. The finest chateaux in that year were judged on the basis of reputation and trading price; changes in rank since then have been miniscule at best. Today producers such as Chateau Pontet-Canet, Chateau Grand Puy-Lacoste, Chateau Lynch-Bages, among others (all fifth growth) offer some of the most outstanding wines in all of Bordeaux.
Defining characteristics of fine wines from Pauillac (i.e. Cabernet-based Bordeaux Blends) include inky and juicy blackcurrant, cedar or cigar box and plush or chalky tannins.
Layers of gravel in the Pauillac region are key to its wines’ character and quality. The layers offer excellent drainage in the relatively flat topography of the region allowing water to run off into “jalles” or streams, which subsequently flow off into the Gironde.