2005 Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste, Pauillac, Bordeaux

Tasted blind. Lustrous dark crimson. Not much nose. Thick and sweet, with the tannins well melded. Pungent, cordite quality. A good mid-term stage reached in its evolution whereby it’s drinkable but has lots left to give.Drink 2016 - 2040jancis_robinson_mw MW, JancisRobinson.com (March 2017)

Medium red. Very ripe aromas of plum and musky brown spices; redder in character and less precise than the 2006. Then big, sweet and plump on the palate, with full, mellow flavours of red berries, tobacco and mocha, plus a light smoked meat note. Finishes with sweet tannins and lingering, fully ripe fruit. This is showing its lush side today and is hiding its underlying structure.The team here harvested Grand Puy Lacoste and Haut Batailley from September 21 until October 4, stopping twice for a half-day: once due to rain and the second time to do more leaf-pulling. Director Francois-Xavier Borie did a bit of reverse osmosis for the cabernet in 2007 but avoided saignee, then fermented a bit cooler than usual, with less remontage. Both his Grand Puy Lacoste and Haut Batailley will go into bottle with moderate alcohol levels because, he said, "we can't have too much alcohol for the structure of the vintage."Stephen Tanzer, Vinous.com.com (May 2008)

The 2005 is taking its time to come around fully, and this will still improve over the next five to 10 years, but it is starting to live up to expectations. It is packed with truffles, tar, cigar box, soy, black tea, campfire smoke, and smoked earth. A classic Grand-Puy-Lacoste from an effortlessly balanced vintage. Harvest September 22 to October 5, 70% new oak.Drink 2022 - 2040jane_anson_mw, Decanter.com (March 2021)

A fabulous GPL. Perhaps better than the legendary 1982? It shows laser-guide precision on the palate with currants, cedar, mint, flowers and chocolate aromas. Full-bodied and extremely finely textured on the palate, lasting for minutes. A joy to drink now. Get some.james_suckling, jamessuckling_com (November 2015)

The Château Grand Puy Lacoste 2005 has a brilliant, classic pencil-lead nose that is Pauillac through and through. There is no messin’ about here. The palate is very well-defined, with excellent acidity, great depth of black fruit and an astonishingly precise finish that just takes your breath away. Is it the best 2005 of the vintage? Not quite, but it belongs in the top tier. Factor in value for money; I would be happy sitting on a big pile of this in my cellar to drink over the rest of my lifetime and the afterlife, if that exists, too.Drink 2020 - 2060Neil Martin, Wine Advocate (February 2015)

Pure crme de cassis, licorice and spice are all present in this wine from Xavier Borie. Medium to full-bodied and ripe, with sweet tannin and a nicely textured mouthfeel, this is a beauty that should continue to drink well for another 15 or so years.Robert M. Parker, Jr. - 29/06/2015

The brilliant 2005 Grand-Puy-Lacoste exhibits classic Pauillac aromas, creme de cassis flavours, and stony/floral notes. Proprietor Xavier Borie has created a wine that should rival the brilliant 1982, 1990, 1996, and 2000. Full-bodied with sweet tannin and superb length (a 40+ second finish), the purity of this beauty’s black currant fruit is something to behold. Anticipated maturity: 2013 - 2030Robert M. Parker, Jr., Wine Advocate (April 2008)