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History
The origins of Grand-Puy-Lacoste, as well as that of its twin Grand-Puy-Ducasse, lie in a single estate that existed in the northern parts of the commune around Pauillac in the Middle Ages.The original estate incorporated the Grand Puy, one of the many gravel croupes which are a feature of the Haut-Médoc, and which often provides the perfect terroir for Cabernet, and as a consequence they have an association with many of the greatest estates of the region. The Grand Puy, puy being another of the seemingly endless litany of words which refer to a hill or mound, lies a few kilometres inland of the town of Pauillac, and the soil that lay on it five centuries ago belonged to a Monsieur de Guiraud. He had two daughters, one of whom married a gentleman named Dejean, and the estate seems to have been passed down this line. From here it passed to their son, Bertrand, and it was possibly during his tenure that the estate was divided, giving rise to the two Grand-Puy estates that exist today.Dejean was a fairly wealthy landowner, buying and selling land; he owned the nearby Lynch-Bages as well as the vineyards on the Grand Puy. In 1750 he passed some of the latter vineyards to Pierre Ducasse, a creditor, and common sense would suggest that this was the origin of Grand-Puy-Ducasse. What remained with the Dejean family, subsequently inherited by one of his daughters, was the origin of Grand-Puy-Lacoste. The estate was passed down the female line through two generations, to the next daughter and then to the granddaughter, who married a Monsieur de Saint-Guiron. At this time the estate was known as Saint-Guiron, and is listed as such in documents from the mid-19th Century. Their offspring, another daughter, married François Lacoste, and it was through this union that the estate's modern name originated.By this time viticulture was firmly established on the estate, and both Lacoste and Ducasse were selling their wines alongside those from other nearby properties. Their presence and prices were sufficient for them to be listed in the 1855 classification of the Médoc, both ranked at the level of cinquième cru. Around this time the family added an attractive chateau to their assets, in place of the house which dated from the previous century.François Lacoste bequeathed the estate to his son, Frédéric, who then passed it on to his daughter, Madame de Saint-Legier. She sold the estate to two gentlemen, Messieurs Neal and Hériveau, who themselves sold the estate to Raymond Dupin in 1932. Dupin was an absentee landlord, and although he was not too distant - he resided in Bordeaux, living a lavish, bachelor lifestyle - the estate naturally fell into a decline during this time, a decline no doubt reinforced by the obligatory sequence of phylloxera, oidium, war and depression which characterised the late 19th and early 20th Century.From a starting point of 55 hectares, the vineyards were less than half that in the 1960s, when they reached a low point of 25 hectares. The necessary turn around in this inadequate approach began the following decade, and really gathered pace when, in 1978, Dupin sold half of his shares in the estate to Jean-Eugène Borie of Ducru-Beaucaillou. Over the years since the acquisition, the Borie family has gradually taken over responsibility for the chateau, estate and vineyards in their entirety, and it is now François-Xavier, Jean-Eugène's son, that runs the estate.There has been an impressive program of investment and innovation, with new equipment installed in the expanded cellar. Under Borie's direction quality, which never took a nosedive in the way that some estates did during the 20th Century, has risen even further, and the wines today are without doubt worth seeking out.
Nowadays’ Owner: Famille Borie
Technique Information
Location: Chateau Grand-Puy-Lacoste is located just north of the road that joins Pauillac to Saint-Laurent-et-Benon.
Appellation: Appellation Pauillac Controlee
Neighboring Chateau: Chateau Batailley(5th Growth of Pauillac in1855)
Chateau Lynch-Moussas(5th Growth of Pauillac in1855)
Chateau Grand-Puy-Ducasse(5th Growth of Pauillac in1855)
Acreage: The whole property lies on 90 hectares (vineyards make up 55 hectares).
Soil: deep gravel beds over limestone.
Grape Varieties: 75%Cabernet Sauvignon, 25%Merlot.
Average age of vines: 40 years
Cultivation Density: 10,000 vines/ha.
Viticulture: Double Guyot pruning. Each year, they replace a few dying Cabernet Sauvignon vines. Green harvest，harvest by hand.
Winemaking: the fruit destemmed and then fermented in temperature-controlled stainless-steel where it remains for up to three weeks before going into oak for up to twenty months. Of this, up to 40% will be new wood each vintage.
Yield: 4,500-5,500 hectoliters per hectare
Brand: Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste(First Label)(A.O.C. Pauillac)
Lacoste-Borie(Second Label)(A.O.C. Pauillac)
Annually Production: Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste(First Label): 18,000 cases
Character:
Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste(First Label): A concentrated wine of good color, Grand- Puy-Lacoste has enjoyed a solid reputation for big, durable full-bodied Pauillacs. At its best the wine displays the hallmark Pauillac character of black currants and cedar balanced by a formidable tannic structure.
Best vintages: Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste (First Label): 1981, 1983, 1988, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2002 and 2003.
Awards: 5th Growth of Pauillac in 1855
Sources: http://www.thewinedoctor.com/bordeaux/grandpuylacoste.shtml
http://www.wineterroirs.com/2005/07/grand_puy_lacos.html
Serving Suggestion
Cellar Humidity and Temperature: 75-85%, 15 ℃
Serving Temperature: 17-19 °C
Optimum drinking and Ageing potential: 10-15 years
Food match:
Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste(First Label):
Western Food：Beef, poultry, cheese (Saint Nectaire, Edam, and Gouda) pasta with cream sauce, hearty stew, pizza, pork, veal, game. Ideal with beef, roast veal and lamb dishes.
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