Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste 2023 – Pauillac, Grand Cru Classé en 1855, BDX France 🇫🇷
Overview
A benchmark Pauillac delivering depth, precision, and classical balance at a very high level, driven by a 75% Cabernet Sauvignon–dominant blend with 20% Merlot, and 5% Cabernet Franc as a support. The wine shows beautifully layered red fruit, refined structure, and seamless integration, expressing terroir purity and composure from start to finish.
Aromas & Flavors
Blackcurrant, red cherry, wild raspberry, cassis, graphite, cedar, pencil shavings, subtle tobacco leaf, gentle cocoa and crushed gravel.
Mouthfeel
Medium-plus to full-bodied with finely polished tannins, excellent mid-palate density, vibrant yet controlled acidity, elegant grip, and a long, harmonious finish that remains lifted and precise.
Food Pairings
Prime rib, grilled ribeye, rack of lamb, beef Wellington, mushroom-forward dishes, aged hard cheeses.
Verdict
A beautifully executed Pauillac that balances power and finesse effortlessly. Everything feels aligned, fruit purity, structure, tension, and length, making this a top-tier reference for the appellation and vintage.
🍷 Personal Pick
This is Pauillac done right, deep fruit, flawless execution, and a finish that feels complete and satisfying rather than forced. A wine that earns admiration through balance and quiet authority. Hard to pass, even harder to forget. — 8 months ago
It is a dark wine, one which lets very little light pass through. The nose displays more fruit than oak, which is a good sign if you plan to chill it and serve it outside. Blackberry, raspberry, cassis, anise all shine brightly, with light notes of clove and cinnamon. The palate is clean and fresh, with the dark fruit taking a bow. The tannins are maybe a little firm for an outdoor meal under the sun, but the acidity is brisk and refreshing. — 3 years ago
Great dessert wine — 4 years ago
Bottle 1 turned. Bottle 2 was fine. I expected more complexity out of a Bordeaux with this age. I will happily drink the rest of my case but I’d pass on this vintage in the future. — 7 years ago
For the money this is a gem, little sweet lacking some acidity but on a hot day I’d gladly drink this. — 8 years ago
2003 vintage. *Full disclosure* Not the biggest Pavie fan as I've consistently found it underwhelming for the commanding pricing and eternally in need of yet "another hour" in a decanter. Great fill and opened with a Durand but feel that the cork (in great shape) would have come out decently easy with a standard wine key. Given my issues with Pavie in the past, brought over two decanters so as to agitate the wine between them four times. Initial pass, good amount of sediment with the vast majority of it caked onto the sides of the bottle. Yay! Great boysenberry/raspberry nose noted during the first decant. Tasted after two hours. Medium body. Some earth, the aforementioned berries and hints of rich chocolate cake, including frosting, on the scene. Despite all the lavished attention and fuss, still suspect this would show better twelve hours later at breakfast with waffles and Count Chocula cereal. High-maintenance for the bean-counters. 9.26.26. — 7 days ago
Had with lunch in Quebec City. 2016 was wonderful and still bright red. — a year ago
2013 vintage. Both excellent fill and cork. Decanted with infinitesimal sed. Slightly silvery color. Tasted after 1.5 and 2.5 hours open. Medium body. Nose slightly reticent during both tastes. Black tea and eucalyptus prominent first go round with both those still present but minimized second pass. Sprinkle in some cracked black pepper and white sage for round two and we have a winner. Finish lasted over a minute and the concentration was as expected given the decent street cred. No rush to crush but open waay early/decant this if enjoying in the next handful of years. 10.24.24. — 2 years ago
Excellent with red meat. We loved it — 7 years ago
The winery is known for its Petite Sirah, and this bottling from the home estate in Calistoga shows why.
Aromas of blueberry, plum, violet, dark chocolate, black pepper and subtle fresh herbs. Rich and powerful palate, yet surprisingly lifted, with fresh acidity and firm but polished tannins. Finish is long, savory and gently candied.
Will benefit from further bottle aging and drink beautifully for the next 8-10 years. — 6 months ago
Cracked open this Alfredo Nugan Shiraz to go with Veal Chop and frites — 8 months ago

Fragrant chard with apple/ pear w a hint of citrus on the finish. Excellent acidity and some stony minerality. Bright and welcoming. Tom- it may be trying to pass itself off as a more haughty cotes de beaune, however. — a year ago
The quality of these many and varied Henschke cuvées never ceases to amaze. Just brief notes - not as much spice as Mount Edelstone and Hill of Grace. This is from the Barossa and provides a point of difference to their big guns in the Eden Valley. A more full bodied palate showing black and blue fruits and liquorice - not so much the sage and black pepper that shows on their Eden Valley reds. — 2 years ago
Another 2 years in the bottle has improved this. It remains subtle with summer berries and pepper, but also hints of mint. Lovely! — 4 years ago
Fruity and spicy — 6 years ago
Great Chardonnay for the price. — 7 years ago
Boris Mathiszik
Nice NZ SB. Green apple, nice minerals. — a month ago