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This wine is the finest Grand-Puy-Lacoste produced after 1982 and before 1995. The 1986 still possesses an impressive deep ruby/purple color, as well as a classic nose of cedar, blackcurrants, smoke, and vanillin. Full-bodied, powerful, authoritatively rich, and loaded with fruit, this wine’s solid lashing of tannin is not likely to melt away for 3-4 more years. It can be drunk, although it is backward and unyielding. Certainly, it is one of the better northern Medocs of the vintage. Anticipated maturity: Now-2012. Last tasted 6/97.Robert Parker | 91 RP

The 1986 is finally emerging from the dormant stage that many of the wines from this vintage (especially the Medocs) have been going through. It is a full-bodied, still backward wine that will appeal to classicists and old line traditionalists given its firm structure and austere tannins. Nevertheless, the color is a healthy deep garnet and the wine exhibits wonderful freshness along with notes of underbrush, damp earth, black currants, cedar and new saddle leather. Well-balanced with good depth, medium to full body, and a tannic (although not excessively so) finish, this may not be the most finesse-styled, elegant Lynch Bages ever produced, but it is an interesting Pauillac that will benefit from another 3-4 years of cellaring. While it may never hit the peaks achieved by great Lynch Bages vintages, it will be one of those rare wines that will last 40+ years.Robert Parker | 94 RP5.3 g/l total acidity; 13.1% alcohol): Garnet-tinged dark ruby-red. Black fruits, candied red cherry, licorice, minerals, cedar and iron on the complex, still-reticent nose. Then more approachable on the palate, displaying a lovely restrained sweetness to the blackberry and blueberry fruit and excellent lift and clarity from lively acidity and solid underlying minerality. The finish features noble, fine-grained tannins and subtle persistence. An unusually accessible 1986 but very typical of the fleshy Lynch-Bages personality, this boasts lovely concentration and sneaky depth. Very well done.Vinous Media | 93 VMDark in color, with intense aromas of ripe black cherry, cedar and light herbs. Medium- to full-bodied, with firm tannins and a medium finish. A bit lean today, but there’s lots going on here.--Lynch-Bages non-blind vertical. Drink now.Wine Spectator | 90 WS

From magnum, a youthful colour, reflecting slow evolution. Aromas of cedar, lead pencil, roasted and primary fruit. Fine grained, noticeable tannin. Excellent balance of power and smooth texture. Noé Tesseron described it as ’older school Pauillac’, and I liked it a lot. Long finish. Aged 60% new oak. (Drink between 2021-2045)Decanter | 95 DECUpgraded in score over my original rating, which was several points lower, Alfred Tesseron has done a remarkable job since 1994 with Pontet-Canet, which has been hitting first-growth levels since 2003. But the 2000 also shows exceptionally well. In need of another decade of cellaring, this dense purple wine has a classic nose of incense, charcoal, creme de cassis, and subtle new oak. Full-bodied, powerful, still very tannic, and shockingly backward, this is a big, rich wine that has put on weight and seems to need more time than I originally predicted. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2035+.Robert Parker | 94+ RPI drank this fabulous 2000 Pontet-Canet in Hong Kong last summer at home with family. It was a wonderfully complex wine that was really starting to show its best. On the nose it displayed tar and currants with hints of dried fruits and berries. It was full-bodied yet so refined and delicious at the same time.James Suckling | 94 JSDeep red-ruby. Explosive nose combines raspberry, roasted currant, grilled nuts and exotic spices. Rich, sexy, silky and full in the mouth, with expressive flavors of black raspberry, game, smoke and truffle. Finishes with strong but suave tannins and excellent length. St. JulienVinous Media | 93 VMA lovely lead-in of singed cedar and vanilla notes gives way to slightly taut, racy red and black currant fruit flavors that drive nicely through an iron-edged finish. Rather sleek and tightly focused, relying more on minerality than power.—Blind 2000 Bordeaux retrospective (December 2015). Drink now through 2023. 2,330 cases made.Wine Spectator | 92 WSThis is a very modern style of wine, with generous new wood and super-ripe fruit flavors, balancing with polished solid tannins. Very international in style, it is good, but could come from anywhere.Wine Enthusiast | 90 WE

The 2001 Grand Puy-Lacoste is a vintage that I have not tasted for a decade. It’s showing some signs of bricking on the rim. The bouquet does not quite have the intensity of the previous vintage, but it unfolds nicely to reveal a mélange of red and black fruit, tertiary aromas, gravel and cedar. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy black fruit, grippy and much more youthful than the 2000, though it does not quite have the same complexity and terroir expression on the elegant finish.Vinous Media | 93 VM

Tasted at the Batailley vertical tasting at the château, the 2005 Batailley continues to be an excellent Pauillac that I suspect is overshadowed by some of its more illustrious and, let’s not forget, more expensive neighbors. Here, it has an effervescent bouquet with vibrant red berry fruit and superb mineralité. This is extremely well focused, with hints of rose petal emerging with time. The palate is medium-bodied with finer tannin than in previous years. I feel there is still some oak to be fully absorbed, so don’t be afraid to cellar this 2005 for another four or five years; but, even at this early stage, you can appreciate its precision on the graphite-infused finish. The 2005 Batailley is where the estate began its upward swing that is continuing to this day. Tasted April 2016.Robert Parker Neal Martin | 93 RP-NMThe 2005 Batailley is dark in hue with little aging on the rim. The nose is backward, tight and almost "moody", piqued that it did not undergo a three- to four-hour decant. Firm tannins frame the palate. The oak may not be as assimilated as the best 2005s. Dark chocolate and espresso hints develop with time in the glass. It hasn’t moved much since I last tasted it, and it is just a bit formulaic. But I would keep it cellared for several more years as Batailley, in great vintages, has a propensity to age. Tasted at lunch in London.Vinous Media | 92+ VMThere’s a precise structure to this wine, which allows the detail and minerality to show against a backdrop of clean, juicy black cherry flavor. The texture is silken and gentle, the depths of tannin profound while the surface of the wine feels buoyant. A fine Pauillac to start drinking ten years from the vintage.Wine & Spirits | 92 W&SVery muscular and powerful with lots of tannins now, but it will come around. Full body and dense. Leave this alone for three or four years.James Suckling | 91 JSHas licorice, currant and fresh cèpe on the nose. Full and silky, with lots of sweet tobacco and berry character and plenty of ripe Cabernet fruit. Long and caressing. Best after 2012. 20,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 90 WS

Aromas of redcurrants, flowers and spices, such as nutmeg. Some cherries, too. It’s full-bodied, yet racy and energetic. Chewy tannins. Structured. One of the best Cos Labory in a long time. This needs three or four years to come together.James Suckling | 94 JSThe 2019 Cos Labory remains rather brawny, but it certainly has a ton of character. Black cherry, plum, gravel, licorice and scorched earth add to an impression of rusticity. Even so, there is plenty of depth and more than enough energy to support many years of fine drinking.Antonio Galloni | 92 AGA Cru Classé that in recent years has clearly been striving to catch up with its 1855 neighbours. It remains far less polished than the other classified growths in the appellation, but that gives it a charm all of its own. There are plenty of firm tannins here, with cassis and bilberry fruits, along with clear austerity that is going to need a few more years to soften. A serious wine with a sense of identity, takes its time to reveal its hand and may move up when retasted in bottle. Tasted twice one week apart. (Drink between 2026-2043)Decanter | 92 DECA classic Saint-Estèphe nose of darker currants, damp earth, leafy herbs, and cedar emerges from the 2019 Château Cos Labory, a medium-bodied, balanced 2019 with good mid-palate concentration, ripe, building tannins, and a great finish. It deserves 3-5 years of bottle age and will keep for 15-20 years.Jeb Dunnuck | 90+ JDThe 2019 Cos Labory reveals inviting aromas of plums, blackcurrants and loamy soil, followed by a medium-bodied, supple and elegantly fleshy palate that’s framed by fine, powdery tannins and succulent acids. Open and charming for a young Saint-Estèphe, it will drink well with minimal bottle age.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 90 RP

This full-bodied red builds on the palate in a fantastic way with tight, compact tannins that grow and grow on the finish. Plenty of blackcurrant and graphite character and a flavorful finish. Same level as the excellent 2016.James Suckling | 96-97 JSThe 2020 Grand-Puy-Lacoste is an explosive, vibrant Pauillac. The bouquet alone is captivating. Lavender, grilled herbs, menthol, chocolate and crème de cassis all race out of the glass. A wine of vertical structure and precision, the 2020 is a total stunner. It simply dazzles from start to finish.Vinous Media | 93-96 VMThe 2020 Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste is a more fleshy, textured Pauillac that still plays in the concentrated, focused, structured style of the vintage. Ripe black cherries, currants, toasty oak, chocolate, and tobacco leaf notes give way to a medium to full-bodied, richly textured 2020 that has velvety tannins, good mid-palate depth, and a great finish. Do your best to hide bottles for 4-5 years and enjoy over the following 20-25 years or so.Jeb Dunnuck | 92-95 JD(Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste, Pauillac, Bordeaux, France, Red) Enjoyable, powerful, concentrated, not the most generous of GPLs but they have captured the essence of Pauillac, and it’s hard to resist. Sappy juicy finish, full of cassis, mint leaf and pencil lead along the way with a clear tightness to the tannic frame. A yield of 31hl/ha. 75% new oak for barrel ageing. (Drink between 2027-2046)Decanter | 95 DECMedium to deep garnet-purple colored, the 2020 Grand-Puy-Lacoste offers notes of freshly crushed black and red currants, fresh blackberries and mulberries, plus hints of pencil lead, damp soil and black olives. The medium-bodied palate is delicately styled and refreshing, delivering soft, skillfully managed tannins and just enough freshness to frame the juicy black fruits, finishing savory.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 91-93 RP

The 2021 Haut-Bages Libéral is a powerful, dense wine. Black cherry, mocha, plum, licorice and incense are all amplified in a brooding, dense Pauillac endowed with notable textural richness and tons of sheer power. Aeration releases the wine’s bracing acidity and aromatics, yet the 2021 remains quite rich. Yields were just 31.5 hectoliters-per-hectare, about 30% lower than normal. Haut-Bages Libéral is a rare 2021 that needs time to shed some of its considerable baby fat. It’s a seriously impressive wine from Claire Lurton. The 2021 was aged 40% in new oak, 40% in once-filled barrels and 20% in a combination of amphora and concrete vat.Vinous Media | 95 VMThis is already open and delicious with cherry, cassis, blueberry and chocolate-orange character. Some peach notes, too. Medium to full body with velvety, ripe and plush tannins. Caressing, yet it remains firm and solid. Lovely, creamy finish. 90% cabernet sauvignon and 10% merlot. From biodynamically grown grapes with Demeter certification.James Suckling | 94-95 JSVery aromatic on the nose, this has savoury, fruit and floral tones; liquorice, cola and earth with cranberries, strawberries and black cherries. Dense and quite darkly fruited on the palate but with a brightness from the acidity giving a mouthwatering attack before the flavours deepen and widen in the mouth. So many layers, really showing the Pauillac power: everything presented in high definition with a bold structure even though the individual elements are so precise and defined. It’s racy and confident but also complex with a spiced cedar, clove, cinnamon, liquorice and wet stone/ chalky element to the tannins that fill the mouth and don’t let go. A lovely wine with lots of potential from Claire Villars-Lurton! 65% grand vin. A blend of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon - the highest percentage ever - and 10% Merlot, which usually comprises between 15 to 25% of the blend. 11.5% press wine. Ageing 16 months, 40% new oak, 40% one-year-old oak, 20% amphoras.Decanter | 93 DECThe 2021 Haut-Bages-Libéral has turned out nicely, unfurling in the glass with aromas of cassis, minty berries, pencil shavings and cigar wrapper, followed by a medium to full-bodied, deep and layered palate that’s impressively concentrated, built around a muscular frame of ripe, powdery tannins that assert themselves on the youthfully structured finish. It will reward a bit of patience.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92+ RP