2010 Chateau Grand Puy Lacoste 5th Grand Cru Classe Pauillac 750 ml

95pts + 95pts + 99pt Vintage = No Brainer

When it comes to Bordeaux, legacy is everything. Nearly two centuries before America declared its independence from Great Britain, the candles were burning at Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste, and the wine was flowing. We like to think about how, as the château’s 20th century vines made their deep-rooted descent into the decomposed matter of 15th century plantings, a bit of that legacy was making its way into every bottle.  

Two family names are central to the estate’s history: Lacoste, a family whose impressive run stretched for two centuries; and Borie. In 1978, Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste was purchased by Jean-Eugène Borie, owner of Château Haut-Batailley next door, and the celebrated Ducru-Beaucaillou a few miles south in Saint-Julien.

Borie’s son, François-Xavier, has held the reins now for three decades, and continues to produce beautiful, dark-fruited, Cabernet-dominated, classically structured Pauillac that can go decades in the cellar.

Situated on the Left Bank of the Gironde, Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste benefits from slightly higher elevations and greater exposure to the sun’s rays. Pauillac’s gravel-based soils retain heat, which aids ripening into evening hours. Forests to the west buffer the vines from wind gusting off the Atlantic Ocean, allowing cool, cleansing breezes to help grapes retain firm and lively acidity.

The 2010 growing season is marked by picture-perfect weather. The Bordelais don’t argue when both Wine Spectator and Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate align on a jaw-dropping 99-point vintage score — they just raise prices.

But in a market where even millionaires balk at First Growth prices, you just have to know where to look — and when it comes to quality vs. price ratios on the Left Bank, there’s no question that today’s 2010 Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste Grand Cru Classé is one of the best in its class.

The 2010 Grand-Puy-Lacoste is a blend of 83% Cabernet Sauvignon and 17% Merlot. Mesmerizing, deep ruby red in the glass. Profoundly aromatic, with sappy black currant notes, crushed violets and sweet oak spice. Broad and expansive on the attack, unfolding layers of ripe blackberry and black cherry fruit, brown spices and powerful but well-integrated dusty tannins. A lengthy mouthwatering finish gives way to persistent spice and mocha notes. Drink now for its youthful exuberance, or hold in the cellar until 2030.

Robert Parker called it an “absolutely magnificent wine” and “a brilliant effort” before pinning on 95 points. Equally impressed, Wine Spectator’s former European bureau chief, James Suckling also rated it 95 points, calling it “reserved and sophisticated.”