Château Gruaud-Larose
About Château Gruaud-Larose
Château Gruaud Larose in Saint Julien is one of the largest single block vineyards in Bordeaux. It was purchased by Jacques Merlaut in 1997. Under the Taillan Group he owns numerous Bordeaux vineyards such as Château Haut-Bages-Libéral and Château Chasse-Spleen.
With vineyards that haven't changed since the creation of the estate in 1781, they sit at the highest point of elevation on the Saint-Julien plateau, just to the west of Château Beychevelle. Although yet to be certified, Gruaud Larose has begun farming 100% of their vineyards following only biodynamic principles, starting with the 2019 vintage, and they are currently in the last year before organic certification.
The 82-hectare vineyard of Château Gruaud-Larose is planted with approximately 61% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Some of the parcels of vines are in close proximity to Château Talbot and Château Branaire-Ducru. Since the 2019 vintage, the estate has adopted organic viticulture and biodynamic practices that will undoubtedly take Château Gruaud Larose to new heights.
Product Name | Region | Qty | Score | Price | |||||
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Bordeaux | 1 | 95-100 (WS) |
Inc. TAX
€1,472.77 |
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Wine Spectator (95-100)Pure cassis and raspberry sauce with vanilla. Full-bodied, with big, velvety tannins and a finish that lasts a very long time. Awesome wine. This is very close in quality to the 2000. Score range: 95-100 |
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Bordeaux | 1 | 94-97 (WS) |
Inc. TAX
€1,694.77 |
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Wine Spectator (94-97)Beautiful aromas of currant, black licorice and blueberry follow through to a full body, with chewy tannins and a long, juicy finish. Big wine. Could be better than the classic 2000. Score range: 94-97 -JS |
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Bordeaux | 1 | 95-96 (JS) |
Inc. TAX
€1,065.97 |
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James Suckling (95-96)Full-bodied, layered and juicy young wine. Very tannic yet ripe and intense. Powerful finish. This will be excellent. Better than the 2015. |
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Bordeaux | 1 | 95-97 (WA) |
Inc. TAX
€1,206.37 |
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Wine Advocate (95-97)The 2018 Gruaud Larose is blended of 67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot and 9% Cabernet Franc, with a pH of 3.88 and 14.2% alcohol. Deep garnet-purple in color, it leaps from the glass with bold black cherries, mulberries, plum preserves and blackcurrant cordial scents with hints of menthol, lilacs, licorice and cloves plus wafts of fallen leaves and tilled soil. Medium to full-bodied with a taut core of ripe, densely packed, muscular fruit, it has a firm line of ripe, grainy tannins and just enough freshness, finishing long and spicy. Very exotic Gruaud! |
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Bordeaux | 1 | 96 (WA) |
Inc. TAX
€1,156.54 |
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Wine Advocate (96)A serious, more obviously structured effort than the suave 2019, the 2020 Gruaud Larose opens in the glass with aromas of blackcurrants and blackberries mingled with subtle hints of burning embers, pencil shavings and violets framed by a deft touch of classy new oak. Medium to full-bodied, deep and concentrated, with rich, powdery tannins and vibrant fruit flavors, it concludes with an impressively penetrating finish. However, it appears likely to require patience. |
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Bordeaux | 6 | 95-97+ (TDB) |
Inc. TAX
€1,319.26 |
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The Drinks Business (95-97+)Gruaud Larose (St Julien; 84% Cabernet Sauvignon; 12% Merlot; 4% Cabernet Franc; 12.5% alcohol; tasted between appointments at the property with Arnaud Frédéric and, later, at Lagrange with consistent if initially rather hastily written notes). I had some trouble tracking down a sample as this was not presented at the UGC press tasting at the Cité du Vin. But I am really pleased that I persisted as this is staggeringly brilliant and definitely one of the wines of the vintage – as, indeed, it was in 2020 (not that many people tasted it en primeur either). A very dark cool-vintage Cabernet nose – of brambles and blackberry, with a touch of cassis that builds in the glass with aeration. There is great presence and intensity to the pure dark bright, fresh crunchy fruit in a deeply expressive and impressively aromatically striking nose. Thyme, freshly plucked from the stalk, a stony minerality, and graphite and pencil-shavings. On the palate, this is plunge-pool deep, dense and compact yet with a wondrously graceful lift and elegance to it. Archetypally Gruaud Larose – with all that graphite minerality– but taken to a new level texturally. The 2021 is fabulously intense, deep dark and utterly captivating. There is incredible purity, great layering and pixilation, and yet a degree of density and profundity that is really rare in the vintage, even in St Julien. The bright aerial fruit provides loads of mid-palate interest. On the finish this is lively and racy, with a touch of cool menthol and a lovely grip from the tannins that ripple gloriously to a distant vanishing point, cleansing the palate as they do. This really flows and there is a brilliant tension between the tannins that want to strap the fruit to the compact linear spine and the exuberance of the fruit that glides and glistens in a brilliant sinuous crystalline river of fresh juiciness. This is right up there with Las Cases for me in this vintage. |
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Gruaud Larose
(12x75cl)
2023
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Bordeaux | - | 97 (DC) |
Expected Price Range
€784 -
€931
|
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Decanter (97)A complete knockout of a wine in 2023. Deep, vibrant purple in colour. Lots of milk chocolate, some exotic spices and black fruit touches on the nose, along with floral scents of roses and violets - smells gorgeous. Supple and filling, an immediate weight and texture on the palate, thick silk and ripe fruit, massy but then almost straight away quite clean and crisp. Forward and focussed, tannins RE supportive but so well integrated into the wine - almost a seamless expression - with plenty of underlying power. It’s delicious. Very drinkable, finessed and restrained, nothing overdone, no harshness. Everything feels in its place. Juicy and succulent cherry, blackcurrant and blueberry with high mouthwatering acidity. A great wine, I love it because it’s layered and lifted, you can feel the sculpting with muscles on show and it feels very ‘put together’. There’s lots of strict Cabernet, but this has a touch of plushness which you can't help but smile at. A top buy in 2023. 40% grand production, taken from 60% of the estate. 15% press wine. |
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Bordeaux | 1 | 95 (WE) |
Inc. TAX
€721.87 |
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Wine Enthusiast (95)94-96 A solid, chunky wine. It has powerful dry tannins, although they are never dominant, leaving the sweet fruit to shine. Blackberry flavors and the dark core are becoming well integrated. |
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Bordeaux | 1 | 91-92 (JS) |
Inc. TAX
€733.57 |
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James Suckling (91-92)A juicy and fresh red with dark berries and hints of chocolate. Medium to full body, firm and juicy tannins and a flavorful finish. Delicious already. |
Product Name | Region | Qty | Score | Price | |||||
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|
Bordeaux | 1 | 95-100 (WS) |
In Bond
€1,190.00 |
|||||
Wine Spectator (95-100)Pure cassis and raspberry sauce with vanilla. Full-bodied, with big, velvety tannins and a finish that lasts a very long time. Awesome wine. This is very close in quality to the 2000. Score range: 95-100 |
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|
Bordeaux | 1 | 94-97 (WS) |
In Bond
€1,375.00 |
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Wine Spectator (94-97)Beautiful aromas of currant, black licorice and blueberry follow through to a full body, with chewy tannins and a long, juicy finish. Big wine. Could be better than the classic 2000. Score range: 94-97 -JS |
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Bordeaux | 1 | 95-96 (JS) |
In Bond
€851.00 |
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James Suckling (95-96)Full-bodied, layered and juicy young wine. Very tannic yet ripe and intense. Powerful finish. This will be excellent. Better than the 2015. |
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|
Bordeaux | 1 | 95-97 (WA) |
In Bond
€968.00 |
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Wine Advocate (95-97)The 2018 Gruaud Larose is blended of 67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot and 9% Cabernet Franc, with a pH of 3.88 and 14.2% alcohol. Deep garnet-purple in color, it leaps from the glass with bold black cherries, mulberries, plum preserves and blackcurrant cordial scents with hints of menthol, lilacs, licorice and cloves plus wafts of fallen leaves and tilled soil. Medium to full-bodied with a taut core of ripe, densely packed, muscular fruit, it has a firm line of ripe, grainy tannins and just enough freshness, finishing long and spicy. Very exotic Gruaud! |
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|
Bordeaux | 1 | 96 (WA) |
In Bond
€919.00 |
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Wine Advocate (96)A serious, more obviously structured effort than the suave 2019, the 2020 Gruaud Larose opens in the glass with aromas of blackcurrants and blackberries mingled with subtle hints of burning embers, pencil shavings and violets framed by a deft touch of classy new oak. Medium to full-bodied, deep and concentrated, with rich, powdery tannins and vibrant fruit flavors, it concludes with an impressively penetrating finish. However, it appears likely to require patience. |
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|
Bordeaux | 6 | 95-97+ (TDB) |
In Bond
€1,055.00 |
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The Drinks Business (95-97+)Gruaud Larose (St Julien; 84% Cabernet Sauvignon; 12% Merlot; 4% Cabernet Franc; 12.5% alcohol; tasted between appointments at the property with Arnaud Frédéric and, later, at Lagrange with consistent if initially rather hastily written notes). I had some trouble tracking down a sample as this was not presented at the UGC press tasting at the Cité du Vin. But I am really pleased that I persisted as this is staggeringly brilliant and definitely one of the wines of the vintage – as, indeed, it was in 2020 (not that many people tasted it en primeur either). A very dark cool-vintage Cabernet nose – of brambles and blackberry, with a touch of cassis that builds in the glass with aeration. There is great presence and intensity to the pure dark bright, fresh crunchy fruit in a deeply expressive and impressively aromatically striking nose. Thyme, freshly plucked from the stalk, a stony minerality, and graphite and pencil-shavings. On the palate, this is plunge-pool deep, dense and compact yet with a wondrously graceful lift and elegance to it. Archetypally Gruaud Larose – with all that graphite minerality– but taken to a new level texturally. The 2021 is fabulously intense, deep dark and utterly captivating. There is incredible purity, great layering and pixilation, and yet a degree of density and profundity that is really rare in the vintage, even in St Julien. The bright aerial fruit provides loads of mid-palate interest. On the finish this is lively and racy, with a touch of cool menthol and a lovely grip from the tannins that ripple gloriously to a distant vanishing point, cleansing the palate as they do. This really flows and there is a brilliant tension between the tannins that want to strap the fruit to the compact linear spine and the exuberance of the fruit that glides and glistens in a brilliant sinuous crystalline river of fresh juiciness. This is right up there with Las Cases for me in this vintage. |
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Gruaud Larose
(12x75cl)
2023
|
|
Bordeaux | - | 97 (DC) |
Expected Price Range
€784 -
€931
|
||||
Decanter (97)A complete knockout of a wine in 2023. Deep, vibrant purple in colour. Lots of milk chocolate, some exotic spices and black fruit touches on the nose, along with floral scents of roses and violets - smells gorgeous. Supple and filling, an immediate weight and texture on the palate, thick silk and ripe fruit, massy but then almost straight away quite clean and crisp. Forward and focussed, tannins RE supportive but so well integrated into the wine - almost a seamless expression - with plenty of underlying power. It’s delicious. Very drinkable, finessed and restrained, nothing overdone, no harshness. Everything feels in its place. Juicy and succulent cherry, blackcurrant and blueberry with high mouthwatering acidity. A great wine, I love it because it’s layered and lifted, you can feel the sculpting with muscles on show and it feels very ‘put together’. There’s lots of strict Cabernet, but this has a touch of plushness which you can't help but smile at. A top buy in 2023. 40% grand production, taken from 60% of the estate. 15% press wine. |
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|
Bordeaux | 1 | 95 (WE) |
In Bond
€564.00 |
|||||
Wine Enthusiast (95)94-96 A solid, chunky wine. It has powerful dry tannins, although they are never dominant, leaving the sweet fruit to shine. Blackberry flavors and the dark core are becoming well integrated. |
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|
Bordeaux | 1 | 91-92 (JS) |
In Bond
€574.00 |
|||||
James Suckling (91-92)A juicy and fresh red with dark berries and hints of chocolate. Medium to full body, firm and juicy tannins and a flavorful finish. Delicious already. |