Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste 2000 is the perfect chance to taste a great Bordeaux vintage without the price premium of more expensive left bank growths.

Grand-Puy-Lacoste is an estate on the up. Its success, as the welcoming Isabelle La Sueur told us, can be attributed to owner François-Xavier Borie, who since taking over from his father, has taken this 5th growth Pauillac château from good to great. Xavier has rebuilt the cellars, installed smaller vats and instigated a more rigorous selection process.

Grand-Puy-Lacoste's wines carry a hint of crème de cassis, which is the château's trademark characteristic in top vintages.

"…this deep, full-bodied, luscious, muscular offering exhibits ripe tannin, loads of fruit, and tremendous purity. This is a gorgeous example of one of the most popular wines in the Medoc. Its savory tannin and low acidity suggest it should be close to its plateau of drinkability in 4-6 years." eRobertParker.com (April 2003)

"Sweetly scented with a nutty, stony character; appetising freshness and leafiness to the palate, balanced by ripe but not showy fruit, usefully firm tannins and a sweet-nut finish." thewinegang.com