Chateau Grand-Puy-Lacoste 5eme Cru Classe, Pauillac 2020

The 2020 Grand-Puy-Lacoste has a wonderful, "cool" bouquet with refined, graphite-infused black fruit that simply oozes class. The palate is medium-bodied with sapid black fruit and wonderful symmetry, fresh and tensile with a persistent, tobacco-tinged finish that could only come from Pauillac. Wonderful. Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting.

The 2020 Grand-Puy-Lacoste is every bit as captivating from bottle as it was from barrel. Rich and explosive to the core, the 2020 possesses tremendous energy and nuance right out of the gate. Bright acids run through a core of ripe red plum fruit, blood orange, cedar and pipe tobacco. The 2020 is an absolute stunner.

This full-bodied red builds on the palate in a fantastic way with tight, compact tannins that grow and grow on the finish. Plenty of blackcurrant and graphite character and a flavorful finish. Same level as the excellent 2016.

Cassis, graphite, smoked tobacco, and crushed stone-like minerality all emerge from the 2020 Château Grand-Puy Lacoste, a more focused, classic effort that has gorgeous purity of fruit, ripe, building tannins, and flawless balance. More in the style of the 2016 than the 2018 and 2019, it has tons of class.

Enjoyable, powerful, concentrated, not the most generous of GPLs but they have captured the essence of Pauillac, and it's hard to resist. Sappy juicy finish, full of cassis, mint leaf and pencil lead along the way with a clear tightness to the tannic frame. A yield of 31hl/ha. 75% new oak for barrel ageing.

The 2020 Grand-Puy-Lacoste is excellent, offering up aromas of cassis and plums mingled with pencil shavings, violets and loamy soil framed by a touch of creamy new oak. Medium to full-bodied, pure and fleshy, with lively acids, powdery tannins and good depth at the core, its supple, charming style belies considerable aging potential. It's a blend of 76% Cabernet Sauvignon and 24% Merlot.

The 2020 Grand-Puy-Lacoste has a deep garnet-purple color. It bounds from the glass with eager-to-please notes of crushed black plums, wild blueberries, and warm cassis, plus touches of violets, licorice, and wild sage. The medium-bodied palate is vibrant with crunchy black fruits and a grainy texture, finishing on a mineral note.