Chateau Grand-Puy-Lacoste 5eme Cru Classe, Pauillac 2018

The 2018 Grand-Puy-Lacoste is fabulous, just as it was from barrel. Strong Cabernet inflections soar out of the glass, giving the wine a compelling aromatic profile laced with the essence of graphite, dried herbs, menthol and dark fruit. One of the most classic (for lack of a better word) wines in the Left Bank in 2018, Grand-Puy-Lacoste is super-impressive right out of the gate. Grand-Puy-Lacoste is ultimately a wine of tremendous class that remains restrained and aristocratic in breeding. Don't miss it.

I love the purity of the 2018 Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste, a ripe, upfront, expressive beauty that has loads of currant and cassis notes as well as flowers, spicy wood, graphite, and hints of tobacco. Full-bodied, rich, expansive, and incredibly sexy, it stays fresh and lively on the palate, with ultra-fine tannins.

Hard to go wrong with recent vintages of Grand Puy Lacoste. This doesn't quite hit the strides of 2016 or 2019, but for me is more successful than either 2015 or 2017. This is full of Pauillac classicism in its cassis, slate and cedar mix, with sweet black cherry fruits through the mid palate that reflect the warmth of the vintage but balanced by crushed mint and eucalyptus on the finish. You can relax with this one - it's easily got another few decades in it. Harvest 21 September and 5 October. 12% press wine. 75% new oak. A yield of 40hl/ha.

The 2018 Grand Puy Lacoste has a quintessential Pauillac nose of intense black fruit infused with graphite scents, pencil shavings and a very discreet marine influence. It is beautifully defined, less opulent than the 2018 Lynch Bages tasted alongside, yet maybe more complex. The palate is medium-bodied and taut, offering sappy black fruit, gritty tannins and a lot of crushed stone. The focused, graphite-driven finish could only come from this appellation. Superb. A wine to correct those bemoaning that Bordeaux no longer makes "proper Claret."

Grand-Puy-Lacoste 2018 is deep garnet-purple in color. It strides boldly out of the glass with notions of baked blackberries, plum preserves, and warm cassis, plus hints of unsmoked cigars, cedar, and bay leaves. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is elegant with grainy tannins and just enough freshness, finishing savory.