Winemaker Notes
The assemblage of Grand-Puy-Lacoste 2017 is dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon (80%) permitting our terroir to express the character and charm of our splendid Cabernets. The wine is a deep, bright ruby color. The bouquet releases scents of ripe red fruit, violets, and spices. This is complimented by an attractive fresh minerality. On the palate, the attack is precise, clean and long, with its ripe and melted tannins. Overall, this is a wine of great balance, allying charm, elegance and freshness; it is aromatic, with an aftertaste of considerable purity. This 2017 breaks the mould of vintages ending in "7" as it demonstrates the richness of expression of the wonderful terroir of Pauillac, combining balance, refined fruit and ripe tannins.
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
These guys often over-deliver in challenging years, and have done so yet again. As you would expect in a vintage that has produced such an excellent Lacoste Borie, this GPL is exceptional, a real success that's juicy and carefully extracted. It has weight and impact, with a Pauillac tannic hold and presence. It's one of my wines of the vintage, and a must buy. The balanced, sculpted, juicy black fruits fully deliver personality and signature style. Harvested 15-29 September, yielding 45hl/ha. 80% new oak.
Barrel Sample -
James Suckling
Aromas of fresh raspberries with some lemon peel and fresh herbs follow through to a full to medium body. Fresh herbs and graphite highlight the wine. Chewy finish. Needs time to soften. Better after 2022.
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Wine Spectator
A taut and minerally version, defined by a chalky underpinning that harnesses the core of damson plum, bitter cherry and red currant fruit. Streaks of cedar, chestnut and bay leaf mark the finish. Shows the austere, iron-driven side of Pauillac. Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Best from 2023 through 2038.
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2017 Château Grand-Puy Lacoste is more open and expressive, with beautiful red and black fruits, dried herbs, savory flowers, and graphite-like notes, as well as a terrific sense of minerality on the palate. It's balanced, medium-bodied, has fine tannins, and a great finish.
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Wine Enthusiast
This is a stylish wine that displays plenty of black currant fruit framed by fine tannins. Medium bodied, the it has a juicy core that is already attractive, but for best enjoyment, drink from 2023.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Composed of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Merlot, the 2017 Grand-Puy-Lacoste was aged in French oak barriques, 75% new. Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, it opens with notes of fresh black raspberries, kirsch and crushed black and red currants with hints of spice box, fragrant soil and potpourri. Medium-bodied, the palate is frisky and fresh with a moderate level of approachable, soft tannins and compelling restraint on the finish.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: The 2017 Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste is quite approachable at this young stage, and it has excellent persistence. TASTING NOTES: This wine exhibits aromas and flavors of blackcurrants and a hint of oak. Enjoy it with grilled lamb chops. (Tasted: January 24, 2020, San Francisco, CA)
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.