2016 Petit Lacoste, 3rd wine of Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste, Pauillac, Bordeaux, France

Tasting note

A rich nose of blackcurrant, blackberry and dark cherry, with cedar, tobacco and leather, leads to a full-bodied palate with more ripe black fruits, cassis, hints of graphite and touches of mocha.

Our thoughts

From the team behind fifth-growth Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste, this is a classic Pauillac for a fraction of the price of the bigger names. Drawn from younger vines on the estate along with other plots dotted around the appellation, it is made in a fresher, more accessible style, but still with Pauillac’s typical refreshing burst of acidity and cigar-box tones on a youthful burst of fruit. Oak is toned down from the grand vin, further accenting the approachability of the wine, from a vintage that is among the most reputed of the last decade.