Prélude à Grand-Puy Ducasse Pauillac 2016 - Second vin

Name: Prélude à Grand-Puy Ducasse Pauillac 2016 - Second wine
Brand: Château Grand-Puy Ducasse
Rating: 3.6 (8 reviews)

Pauillac|Red wine

Bordeaux

Red

Sold individually

Drink

Wooden crate

3.6/5 (8 customers)

92/100

Decanter

90-91/100

Vert de Vin

90/100

James Suckling

(2015 vintage notes)

freshness

gourmet

second wine

ready to drink

"At its tasting peak!"

The credo of Château Grand-Puy Ducasse and its team, led by Anne Le Naour and Benjamin Cassoulet, is to push standards ever higher. Second wine Prélude à Grand-Puy Ducasse was created in 1955 to mark the 100th anniversary of the estate's classification. A dense, jammy red fruit wine! - Delivery in wooden cases possible for orders of 12 bottles of this wine (depending on country and shipping method selected).

Features

Estate

Château Grand-Puy Ducasse

Cuvée

Prélude à Grand-Puy Ducasse

Vintage

2016

Designation

Pauillac

Region

Bordeaux

Grape varieties

58% Cabernet Sauvignon, 42% Merlot

Terroirs

Gravel soils typical of Pauillac, gravelly silica for the Cabernet Sauvignon and more clayey gravel for the Merlot.

Viticulture

Traditional and meticulous

Harvest

Manual in crates

Winemaking

Traditional in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks

Breeding

14 months in French oak barrels (15% new and 85% used for 1, 2 or 3 vintages)

Alcohol content

13%

Tasting & pairing

Eye

Bright, clear purple colour

Nose

On the 1st nose, it reveals sweet spices (cardamom, nutmeg), red fruit and a hint of liquorice, then, after shaking, a slight woodiness.

Mouth

Dense and wrapped in juicy, greedy fruit, on a tannic framework. Fresh finish that gives the sensation of pleasant tension.

Serve

AT 16-18°C

Open

1 hour before

Drink from

2020

Drink before

2026

Food and wine pairing

Enjoy with smoked duck breast salad, roast veal, tajine with prunes...

Château Grand-Puy Ducasse

More information on Château Grand-Puy Ducasse

Pauillac

More information on Pauillac

Expert opinion

Bettane & Desseauve

Domaine rated (guide 2022) 3*Stars (High-quality production that can serve as a benchmark in its sector)

About the domain :

This cru is made from several parcels spread throughout the appellation. One, in the Grand Puy area, gives it its name and produces the most racy part of the blend, which has progressed well under the guidance of the highly competent Anne Le Naour. There are still a few avenues for improvement, which will be made possible by the imminent construction of a new vat room, enabling precise parcel selections and even more meticulous ageing.

Decanter

Rated wine (2019 guide) 92/100 (Vintage 2015)

About the wine:

The second wine of Pauillac's Grand Cru Classé, Château Grand-Puy Ducasse, comes from the estate's young vines, which adjoin Châteaux Mouton-Rothschild, Lafite-Rothschild and Pontet-Canet to the north. This is a bold red wine, with supple tannins, elegant ageing and bright acidity, balancing a generous palate of black fruits and spicy plums. Drink now in its youth, or cellar for a few more years.

Guide Hachette des vins

Domaine noté (guide 2022) Award-winning wines (The wines of this producer are regularly awarded by the guide)

About the domain :

Established mainly in the 18th century by the lawyer Arnaud Ducasse, the estate took its present name in 1932. The château overlooking the Gironde dates back to 1820. Three large parcels of gravel make up this 40-hectare cru, owned by CA Grands Crus (Crédit Agricole Group) since 2004.

Robert Parker - Wine Advocate

Domaine noté (guide 2019) Recommended (Wine producer recommended by Robert Parker - The Wine Advocate)

About the domain :

RVF - La Revue du Vin de France / Guide des Meilleurs Vins de France

Domaine noté (guide 2022) Sélectionné (We remind you that this guide is a prize list and as such, all the estates that appear in it, even without a star, represent, in our eyes, the excellence of French production).

About the domain :

Like Meyney, Grand-Puy Ducasse is owned by a subsidiary of Crédit Agricole (CA Grands Crus). If we were a little disappointed by some of the vintages from the early 2000s, clearly below the level of a good cru classé, things are changing: the estate's stated ambition is to produce a wine worthy of its rank. Anne Le Naour, who manages the vineyard and supervises vinification, is gradually bringing the refinement that was often lacking to the estate. Since 2015, progress has been steady.

Wine Enthusiast

Domaine noté (guide 2021) Recommended (Wine producer recommended by Wine Enthusiast)

James Suckling

Rated wine (2018 guide) 90/100 (Vintage 2015)

Graded area (2021 guide) Recommended

About the wine:

Aromas of summer berries and dark plums are quite harsh, with hints of violet and blackcurrant. The palate has a soft, pastry-like tannic texture, slightly grainy and layered. Very fresh, elegant finish.

Vert de Vin

Rated (2019 guide) 90-91/100 (Vintage 2015) (Jonathan Choukroun Chicheportiche)

About the wine:

The nose is fruity and structured. Notes of crushed raspberry, berries and fine blackcurrant are combined with racy minerality and a very discreet hint of spice/pepper. Fruity, juicy and suave on the palate, with lovely minerality, a fresh structure, fine acidity, fatness and good texture. On the palate, this wine expresses notes of crushed blackcurrant, crushed strawberry and, more lightly, fresh raspberry, combined with hints of chocolate, caramelized wood, a subtle hint of gravel (racy/terroir) and a hint of bitterness on persistence. The tannins are fine, well-balanced and straightforward. Good length.

Customer reviews

Customer rating

3.6/5

out of 8 reviews

Note and review by M. PASCAL T. Published on 30/04/2019

What a nose! A dark color and an attractive fragrance. The first impression on the palate is woody. A very pleasant Pauillac to keep for at least 15 years!