THE PRODUCER
Unusually for Bordeaux chateaux, Grand Puy Lacoste’s 90 hectares of vineyards
are located inone block surrounding the 19thcentury chateau on deep gravel beds.
This may be because the estate has had only three owners since its creation in
the mid-16thcentury thus there have been few interruptions and break-ups of the
land holdings. Grand Puy Lacoste has been owned and run by the Borie family
since 1978 and the vineyards, which now comprise 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20%
Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc, are located west of the town of Pauillac.

With a traditional approach to winemaking Grand Puy Lacoste has been a quiet
achiever for decades and does not rest on its laurels. Continued work on
improvements in vineyards and cellar has resulted in wines which are not far
behind the area’s First Growths – Not bad for a Fifth Growth! Grand Puy Lacoste
is a structured Cabernet Sauvignon dominant wine with a muscular structure
wrapped in velvety and silky tannins. Patience is advised … and rewarded.

This is very good Bordeaux at an agreeable price.

THE WINE
Grand Puy Lacoste’s Grand Vin is sourced from fruit in the western part of the
Pauillac appellation. Average vine age is 38 years but includes some old vines
dating back to the 1950s. The blend varies with vintage and fruit ripeness but
is usually composed of minimum 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, complemented with Merlot.
Fermentation takes place in stainless steel tanks and is followed by ageing in
60-75% new oak barrels for 16-18 months. A wine of consistency and power, Grand
Puy Lacoste is a firmly structured muscular wine with perfumed rich berry fruit
and a velvety and silky texture. Patience is advised … and rewarded.

INFORMATION
Type:RedVintage:2005Country:FranceRegion:BordeauxSub region:PauillacGrape:78%
Cabernet Sauvignon & 22% MerlotStyle:Savory and ClassicSweetness:DryABV:14%
Drinking window:2012 - 2045Size:750mlFood match:Beef and VenisonCRITICS SCORES
We choose our wines based on a range of criteria(seehow we choose our wines)of
which critic scores is justone. Rather than simply highlight the best score to
promote a wine, our average critic score is calculated from the scores provided
by several respected wine critics, who we follow for specific regions. They do
not represent all critic scores and, wherever possible, we try and give more
weight to more recent reviews. Where appropriate we consider market-based scores
like Global Wine Score or Wine Searcher Average scores.

As a rule, we look to offer wines that achieve a92/100average critic score or
better and frankly a lot of very good wines simply don’t make the cut. As a
high-end provider we want to reflect that positioning in the quality of wines we
offer. Such wines are only a tiny fraction of those generally on offer in the
market. We believe that an average score is a more conservative and
representative approach, but it is still subjective and only offered as a guide
to our customers, who will (and should) do their own research. We will add
individual critic scores to our website in the future.