TN: Let the faithful rejoice: Grand Puy Lacoste 2005

[Blanquito]

Grand Puy Lacoste 2005
A bunch of these arrived from PC recently, so I gave a 375ml a test drive. This is a beauty. Such a lovely bouquet, filled with notes of black pepper, campfire smoke, sweet licorice and gentle herbs. Very expressive. It's quite spicy right now with excellent ripeness and a nice mouthfeel. There's a big, teeth-staining chewy mid-palate infused with glycerin and length, while also married to wonderful freshness and zest. The tannins are ample but soft and ripe. Gregarious at the moment, I expect this will shut down sooner or later, and it's exotic notes will morph into classic tobacco and cedar while eschewing any overt greenery. Tasting akin to spicy syrah for the moment, this is a lush GPL while still retaining a weightlessness and class. Easily the best 2005 I've tried yet. 95+ pt potential and delicious today.

[stefan]

Sounds good, Patrick. I would have thought it would be tighter than a drum at this point.

[AlexR]

Alas, GPL is no longer an insider thing.

It's a lot like Léoville Barton. Trade people love it, and it doesn't get quite the glory, but is bloody good wine.

Alex R.

[Houndsong]

It is shut down. Relatively for the vintage.

Come to think of it, I'm pretty sure I did not buy one classed growth from this vintage. You think I could have found one.

[rjsussex]

Thanks. I revisited the GPL 04 recently and that's an understated beauty.

Richard

[AKR]

I had a 2003 GPL yest with a NY strip steak and some creamer potatoes. I had to cool it down since its so hot out here now. Dark ruby, some lactic notes. Tannins mostly resolved now.

[dstgolf]

Had this 2 weeks ago and agree entirely with your review Patrick. JH may hate this estate but they've had some beauties recently. 2012,2014 and 2015 I've had in the last few months and very good but dwarfed by the 05. 2003 gone now but I found it very serviceable but a more modern style.

[JimHow]

OMG Danny if you found the 2003 GPL beyond a $9.75 supermarket level red in quality, then, yes, we will never agree about GPL.
I respect anyone who likes this estate, but we are just going to have to agree to disagree.
In my humble opinion, other than uneven 1982s and the splendid 1995, GPL may be one of the top three most overrated estates in Bordeaux.
(The '89 in Denver was nice enough, and I think I'm going to like the 2014, although I think that is more a function of the underrated excellence of the vintage rather than the property.)

[Blanquito]

Had this 2 weeks ago and agree entirely with your review Patrick. JH may hate this estate but they've had some beauties recently. 2012,2014 and 2015 I've had in the last few months and very good but dwarfed by the 05. 2003 gone now but I found it very serviceable but a more modern style.

I went big on the 05 GPL (18 bottles), so this is great to hear. I don’t think I’ve tried once since that sacrificial half bottle 8 years ago.

[Blanquito]

Funny you mention it, I liked the 89 more than I thought I would. It’s main intrigue (I admit) is the assumption that with patience one may be able to snag it at auction for $80-90. I’d be all over it at that price (once the summer buying freeze ends of course), as nearly every other strong wine we had in ‘89 Denver is now >$200-250.

[Nicklasss]

I like Chateau Grand-Puy Lacoste. I respect that 5th Cru Classé. I liked many of the GPL I had, including the 1982 (let say 4 times I had it), 1985 (twice), 1989 (very small pour in Denver), 1990 (at AlexR's place) and 1996 (2 or 3 times).

I don't necessarly like to be in agreement with JimHow, like good friends don't always agree on everything, especially as he tricked me in 2002 to make lose my 1985 GPL that was a beauty, I think the 2003 was only weak/ok, and the 2012 I opened in my hotel room at one of the last BWE convention was weak.

I guess I would liked the 1995 and 2005 that I never had.

Is it overrated? Tough to say. I have to think a bit more about that. Or which other Cru(s) Classé(s) would be overrated.

Nic

[marcs]

I had this wine in early 2012, not so long after Blanquito's original post in this thread, and thought it was fantastic. Along the lines of his post, I thought the combination of textural depth and freshness was tremendous. I bought eleven more bottles, one of the biggest purchases I've ever made of a wine that price. I have since had two more bottles, somewhere around 2015 or 2016 I think, and found it very shut down. You could already tell it was shutting down when I had it in 2012 but it was still very good. I'm going to sit on my remaining bottles for another five years or so I think.