Grand Puy Lacoste

One of the oldest properties in the Medoc, Chateau Grand Puy-Lacoste covers 55 hectares of vines. The deep gravel soil forces the vines to develop an extensive root system in order to find the water and nourishment needed for growth. This helps them become more resistant to extremes of weather with age, producing fully developed grapes with a fine balance between sugar and acidity.

Monsieur de Guiraud, a member of the Bordeaux Parliament, was the first owner on record of the estate. Upon his death, the Chateau passed to one of his daughters and her husband Monsieur de Jehan. It was their son, Bertrand de Jehan, who changed the layout of the estate into its current form. The Château was passed down the female side of the family and, as women at the time took their husband’s surnames, one decedent who married François Lacoste, gave rise to the name used by the Chateau today.

In the 1855 classification, the price and reputation of Grand Puy-Lacoste earned it Fifth Growth status. The Chateau remained with the Lacoste family for several generations until it was sold in 1932 to Raymond Dupin. Dupin’s tenure saw a period of instability and decline at the Chateau, however this was reversed when he sold half his shares to Jean-Eugene Borie of Chateau Ducru-Beaucaillou. Today, the Borie family own the majority shareholding of Chateau Grand Puy-Lacoste and Francois-Xavier, Jean-Eugene’s son, manages the property.

The Chateau’s wines are a true example of the power and silkiness that is synonymous with the Pauillac appellation. Their grapes are fermented in temperature controlled stainless steel vats, the sizes of which correspond to the specific parcels the grapes come from. The Grand Vin spends 16-18 months in two-thirds new oak, whilst the Chateau’s second wine, Lacoste-Borie, spends 14-16 months in oak of which about half is new.