Chateau Grand-Puy-Lacoste 2009

93 points Wine Enthusiast

A complex, dusty tannin wine, layering smoky wood and black fruits with the firmest dry character. Very intense, rich, dense and potentially powerful.

95 points Wine Advocate

Performing better from bottle than it did from cask (and comparable to their wines 2005, 2000, 1990 and 1982), this is a great classic from Xavier Borie’s estate situated on the back roads west of the town of Pauillac. Its dense ruby/purple color is followed by hints of spring flowers, crushed rocks, black currants, cedar and earth/underbrush. Precise and elegant as well as backward and foreboding, it should put on weight in the bottle and evolve for two decades. Very concentrated as well as velvety-textured, it is a beauty of finesse, balance, purity and nobility. It will benefit from 5-7 more years of bottle age.

93 points Wine Spectator

This is a step up, with ample black currant confiture and roasted fig notes allied to a racy graphite and iron spine. Very sleek through the finish, despite its heft, with a long finish filled with cassis bush and tobacco. Best from 2013 through 2025.

95 points James Suckling

Complex and decadent. Blackberries and black currants, with fresh herbs on the nose. Tea too. Full body, with soft tannins and an earthy finish. Juicy wine. Turns to pure black currants. Best in 2018.