"A succulent, charming wine, the 2020 Lacoste-Borie bursts with aromas of sweet berries, cherries, crushed mint and creamy oak, followed by a medium to full-bodied, fleshy palate. It's a blend of 56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 14% Cabernet Franc, the latter amounting to the Borie family's entire production this year, as none made it into Grand-Puy-Lacoste."
Wine Advocate 90
This 90-hectare estate (some 60 hectares of which are in production), situated in a single block on a gravel dome around the château, has long been a favorite among Bordeaux insiders. Under Emeline Borie's direction, subtle refinements have been made: more than 100 soil pits were dug to better understand the château's geology; herbicides have never been used here, but now 20 hectares are devoted to a trial of organic farming; since 2013, a vertical press is used; and since 2012, the new vintage goes to barrel immediately after malolactic fermentation, before being blended early in the new year. Today's wines are a touch more immediately charming and structurally polished than the Grand-Puy-Lacoste of fifteen years ago, yet they have lost none of their classic Cabernet-driven Pauillac character.
Raymond Dupin owned Grand Puy Lacoste until 1978. Before his death, he passed the remainder of his estate to the Borie family, which was headed by Jean Eugene Borie, the father of the current owner, François-Xavier Borie, who began his career at Grand Puy Lacoste with the 1979 vintage.
The Borie family has extensive roots in the Bordeaux region. They moved to Bordeaux in the late 1800s and started out as negociants. Their first vineyard purchase was Chateau Caronne Ste. Gemme, in the Haut Medoc appellation. The Borie family later purchased Chateau Ducru Beaucaillou in St. Julien, as well as Chateau Haut Batailley in Pauillac.
François-Xavier Borie is the current owner and winemaker at the estate, a role he took over in 2003. His daughter Emeline Borie continues taking a more active role in helping her family manage Chateau Grand Puy Lacoste.