The 2019 Grand Puy Lacoste, as usual, requires plenty of aeration in the glass. Then boom! You get that gorgeous, classic Pauillac raspberry and blackberry fruit infused with cedar and pencil box scents. The harmonious, poised palate has wonderful focus, very fine tannins and a silky-smooth texture. As I remarked in my previous note, it’s very pliant and persistent, with a graphite-tinged finish. A glorious Grand Puy Lacoste that will need time to assimilate the oak – but hey, GPL lovers know the rules.

The 2019 Grand Puy Lacoste is deep purple in colour. Initially the bouquet is tight and so I left my sample for 15-20 minutes to open. It rewards patience with a beguiling mélange of pure blackberry, raspberry, crushed violet and pencil shavings, very focused and mineral-driven. The palate is medium-bodied with finely chiseled tannins. Compared to the robust, tannic GPL's of old, this is much more lithe and approachable, yet it still bears the DNA of this Pauillac estate. It might not possess the flair of other 2019 Left Banks, but that it is not what I seek from this estate. Classy and full of breeding - quintessential Pauillac.

Inky and glass-staining damson colour, with enjoyable aromatics, slow building power that is tempered and softened by waves of violet and peony. Knitted down, muscular tannins build a wall around the black fruits. This is concentrated, signature Pauillac just as it was En Primeur, majoring on pencil lead, cloves, liquorice and cocoa bean. 41hl/h yield, 75% new oak.

The 2019 Grand-Puy-Lacoste is sublime. Silky, perfumed and light on its feet, the 2019 is a wine of grace and finesse. Crushed red berry fruit, sweet red berries, mint, spice, blood orange and mint give the 2019 a brilliant aromatic register that adds to the wine's total sense of allure. The 2019 is such a classy wine.