Grand Puy Lacoste 2003

Very ripe and intense on the nose with a stewed strawberry and cherry character. Full bodied, with a very jammy palate but so much fruit going on here. Ripe fruit dominates this. Pull the cork after 2013.

An atypically superficial effort from one of my favorite Pauillacs, the 2003 Grand-Puy-Lacoste is very good, but it does not stand up to some of the finest northern Medoc offerings. A deep ruby/purple-tinged color is followed by a moderately intense bouquet of black currants and underbrush. It hits the palate with good fruit and medium body, but tails off in the finish. It is an elegant, lighter-styled example of this generally high-class performer. It can be consumed over the next 10-12 years.

Tasted at Bordeaux Index's "10-Year On" tasting in London. Even compared to the Haut-Batailley, the Grand Puy Lacoste does not have the same degree of vigour or delineation. Muffled graphite and earthy scents try to offer some glimmer of life, but it seems very subdued. The palate is medium-bodied with a gamey entry. The acidity is quite low and there is a touch of brettanomyces that become more evident towards the finish and this seems to inhibit the fruit. This is one of the very few vintages where I prefer the Haut-Batailley to GPL. Tasted March 2013.