Château Grand-Puy Ducasse Château Grand-Puy Ducasse 2022 750ml

A transparent and clear young Pauillac with blackcurrant, mushroom, chocolate, and wet earth. Full-bodied, layered and flavorful with fine, velvety tannins. Plenty of graphite and blue fruit at the end. Drink after 2027. (James Suckling)

The 2022 Château Grand-Puy Ducasse is a gorgeous effort that might surpass the 2020 when all is said and done. Largely Cabernet Sauvignon (58%) yet with a solid dose of Merlot (40%) and a splash of Petit Verdot, this beauty exhibits a deep purple hue as well as powerful aromatics of blackcurrants, spicy oak, freshly sharpened lead pencils, and a chalky sense of minerality. Medium to full-bodied on the palate, this broad, layered, beautifully textured, and concentrated Pauillac has building tannins, plenty of mid-palate depth, and a great finish. It's not, however, for the instant gratification crowd and needs to be forgotten for 5-7 years, if not a decade. It should see its 30th birthday in fine form.

The blackcurrants and lead pencil come through clearly here with crushed-stone undertones that follow through to a full body with a solid core of fruit that is defined and polished. It’s velvety but then turns to refined silk with a lovely finish. Please give this at least four or five years to soften and open.

The 2020 Château Grand-Puy Ducasse is a brilliant, powerful, age-worthy Pauillac that will reward bottle age. Blackcurrants, tobacco, cedar pencil, and chocolate are just some of its nuances, and this beauty hits the palate with full-bodied richness, a dense, mouth-filling texture, plenty of ripe tannins, and outstanding length. It’s not the most elegant Pauillac out there, but it has quintessential aromatics, structure, and density, and is beautifully done, as well as incredibly satisfying. It will probably take a decade of bottle age to hit maturity, and it should have 30–40 years of overall longevity. Tasted three times. (Jeb Dunnuck)

Flows wonderfully from the start, with an already accessible feel to the mix of cassis and dark blackberry notes inlaid with singed alder, warm paving stone, tobacco leaf and graphite accents that then carry the finish. In the end, there’s no rush at all here. A pretty gorgeous Pauillac. Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Best from 2025 through 2038. Tasted twice, with consistent notes. 10,733 cases made, 338 cases imported. (James Molesworth)

Dark and winey, with flashes of game and sweet bay peeking out from behind a dense core of mulled black currant, blackberry and black cherry fruit flavors. Dark licorice and warm earth notes wrap up the finish, while a smoldering cast iron edge lingers. Muscular and burly overall, but there's energy and depth for the requisite cellaring needed. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot. Best from 2028 through 2042. 9,000 cases made.