2020 Grand-Puy-Lacoste, Pauillac

A transparent and clear young Pauillac with blackcurrant, mushroom, chocolate, and wet earth. Full-bodied, layered and flavorful with fine, velvety tannins. Plenty of graphite and blue fruit at the end.

Grand‑Puy‑Lacoste is Pauillac to its core, carrying the grace of classic Bordeaux with a profile that could come from nowhere else. The 2020 is one of the château’s most impressive recent releases, a wine that has firmly elevated GPL into the region’s top tier while the pricing remains remarkably reasonable. Neal Martin’s 97‑point Southwold score put it shoulder‑to‑shoulder with the appellation’s elite, and his comparisons to the all‑time 2016 (now well over $100) only reinforce that this is a new benchmark at the estate. Layered with Cabernet‑driven graphite, cassis, vibrant acidity, and a seamless, finessed texture, it delivers depth without weight and polish without excess. As a collectible Bordeaux, it’s a brilliant buy, and today’s Bordeaux‑direct pricing pushes it into no‑brainer territory. For a quintessential, ageworthy Pauillac at a compelling price, this is the one.