Pauillac · fifth growth (5e grand cru classé) in 1855
Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste: vintages available, prices and pairings
The grand vin of Grand-Puy-Lacoste, vintage by vintage, with the format, the guide price and what to expect of it today: ready to drink, or to keep. Tick what interests you and the quote request goes off with your selection.
The vintages on the price list
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The château
On the Grand-Puy rise, west of the town of Pauillac. The Borie family, owners of Ducru-Beaucaillou in Saint-Julien, bought it in 1978; Xavier Borie's branch of the family has run it ever since.
A large majority of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, a little Cabernet Franc. A classic, straight Pauillac, with aromas of blackcurrant and cedar, often cited as one of the best-value classified growths. Ready at around eight years, it lasts twenty-five. Second wine: Lacoste-Borie. The appellation's other châteaux are on the Pauillac wines page.
The estate covers 90 hectares in a single block around the château, 64 of them under vine, on a knoll twenty metres above sea level. The soil is made of deep, coarse gravel mixed with sand and a little clay. The planting: 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc, at 10,000 vines per hectare, with an average age of 38 years. The château ranks the 2015 (74% Cabernet Sauvignon) among its great vintages, and the 2016 (79%) among the estate's great successes. The 2017, harvested from 15 to 29 September, is 80% Cabernet Sauvignon.
What to serve it with
- A vintage of ten years or more: Pauillac lamb (what wine with lamb), game birds (what wine with game).
- A younger vintage: entrecôte bordelaise (what wine with beef), duck breast (what wine with duck).
- With cheese: a Comté, an Ossau-Iraty (what wine with cheese).
Which vintage for which occasion
The classified growth to serve at the table rather than to give for the label: a dinner among wine lovers, a family meal. For a birthday, the birth year, if the table has it (birth year vintage).
Is Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste a grand cru classé?
Yes. It is a fifth growth in the 1855 classification, in the Pauillac appellation.
Grand-Puy-Lacoste or Grand-Puy-Ducasse?
Two Pauillac fifth growths that once shared the Grand-Puy name, but two separate properties. Grand-Puy-Lacoste is on the Grand-Puy rise; Grand-Puy-Ducasse has its cellars on the Pauillac waterfront and its vines in several plots. Lacoste is usually the more expensive of the two.
When should you drink a Grand-Puy-Lacoste?
Allow eight years before opening it and twenty-five years of good form, a little more in a great year, a little less in a weak year or in half bottles. The table applies this rule to each line; it is not a tasting note, and a badly stored bottle ages faster.
Are the prices shown the ones on the quote?
They are the guide prices from the price list, incl. VAT, per bottle of the format, excluding delivery. The quote confirms the price, the availability of each vintage and the postage; the delivery grid gives the lead times. For a vintage not in the table, the quote request is still open.