Grand Puy Lacoste 2022

Rose buds, cassis, crayon, mint leaf, graphite, black tea, this is full of classic Pauillac character in a vintage where that is not a given. It has ridden confidently through ageing and I am still fully on board. Easy to recommend, great stuff. 60% of production in the 1st wine, Eric Boissenot consultant, 75% new oak.

79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Merlot. Cask sample.Deep colour. Marked Cabernet nose. Cassis with a vibrant freshness. Juicy fruit and well-integrated tannins with a more textural feel this year. Reserved, measured, structured. Identity unchanged. (JL) 14%Drink 2032– 2050

The 2022 Grand Puy Lacoste was picked from 7 to 23 September and contains more Merlot due to the high quality of the fruit, matured in 75% new oak. There is 14.2% alcohol. Therefore, this lends this GPL a little more precocity and sensuality compared to other vintages, not cut from the same "classical" cloth as, say, the 2019 or 2020. Underlying this velvety veneer are enticing traits of freshly-rolled tobacco and undergrowth. The palate is medium-bodied with finely-sculpted tannins. Silky smooth in texture, so much so that it belies that backbone underneath. There is a peacock's tail of mineral-rich, quite peppery black fruit on the finish, completing a Pauillac endowed with huge potential. 2030-2065

A blend of 79% Cabernet Sauvignon and 21% Merlot, the 2022 Grand-Puy-Lacoste is a brilliant classic in the making, wafting from the glass with aromas of dark berries, violets and pencil shavings, followed by a medium to full-bodied, layered and concentrated palate that exhibits beautiful structural refinement and purity of fruit. Classy and integrated, it is somewhat reminiscent of a modern-day and less forbiddingly structured version of this estate's brilliant 1982.

A very structured and rich red with black berry and chocolate. Full-bodied with a solid core of fine tannins and a fresh and muscular finish. Dusty texture. Yet it remains bright and vivid. 3.55 pH. 79% cabernet sauvignon, 21% merlot.

Inky depths to the colour. Violet edging, bitter black chocolate and graphite, can feel the grain of the tannins, and the beautiful balance and juice to damson, cassis and plum puree fruits. Captures just the right amount of drama without sacrificing Pauillac character, this is a wine that is clearly going to age extremely well, with depth of flavour and rich tannic frame that shows how 2022 can succeed in the right hands. 75% new oak, 3.57ph. Harvest earliest ever, beginning on September 7 (2003 was September 15), 60% of production in the 1st wine, Eric Boissenot consultant. 38hl/h yield, a little over the Pauillac average.