Editors notes
Based on 67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc, the 2018 Château Gruaud Larose sports a dense purple hue as well as a stunning nose of pure crème de cassis, cedar pencil shavings, blackcurrants, smoked tobacco, and a liquid rock-like sense of minerality. This dense, almost broodingly backward, concentrated Saint-Julien has flawless balance, a remarkable sense of purity, masses of tannins, and one hell of a great finish. Seemingly almost from a more austere year (say 2000 or 2010), it's not going to hit maturity for at least a decade and should cruise in cold cellars for 20-30 years. It's a brilliant wine!
- Jeb Dunnuck
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Low Tannin (Low Tannin)Tannic (Tannic)
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Aroma
- Blueberry
- Boysenberry
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Palate
- Blue Fruits
- Cassis
- Graphite
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Red Meat
Critic Scores & reviews
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Jeb Dunnuck
97"Based on 67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc, the 2018 Château Gruaud Larose sports a dense purple hue as well as a stunning nose of pure crème de cassis, cedar pencil shavings, blackcurrants, smoked tobacco, and a liquid rock-like sense of minerality. This dense, almost broodingly backward, concentrated Saint-Julien has flawless balance, a remarkable sense of purity, masses of tannins, and one hell of a great finish. Seemingly almost from a more austere year (say 2000 or 2010), it's not going to hit maturity for at least a decade and should cruise in cold cellars for 20-30 years. It's a brilliant wine!"
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James Suckling
95"Aromas of currants, blackberries, dried flowers, dark chocolate and tobacco leaves. Citrus zest, too. It’s full-bodied with firm, ultra fine tannins. Complex and layered with a juicy core of ripe fruit. Silky and delicious. Very creamy and fine-tannined. Better from 2025."
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
95"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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Locations
France
Wine is being produced throughout France and has been done for over 2,500 years with certain Châteaux dating their history back to Roman times, around 6th Century BC. Ranking second in the world in per-capita consumption and first in total production quantity. More so than the overall quantity of wine is the quantity of truly great wines coming out of France makes the nation the envy of wine-making nations worldwide.
Two concepts pivotal to the higher end French wines, in particular, are the idea of 'terroir' and the Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC) system. Terroir refers to the way the geography, geology and climate find their way into the glass, telling a story of the origin of the wine. The AOC was set up in 1935 and has the primary goal of protecting the authenticity of the wines and the livelihoods of the producers. Appellation rules strictly define which varieties of grapes and winemaking practices are approved for classification in each of France's several hundred geographically defined appellations, which can cover entire regions, individual villages or in some cases, like in Burgundy even specific vineyards.
Classic wine regions in France include Champagne (home of Champagne), Burgundy (Pinot Noir and Chardonnay), Bordeaux (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec, Petit Verdot), Alsace (Aromatic varietals), Loire Valley (Chenin Blanc, Crémant) and the Rhône Valley (Syrah, Grenache Mourvedre)
The Bordeaux classification of 1855 is still in use, as is the Sauternes and Barsac Classification of the same year. Wines from certain regions can be bought En Primeur, which is when the wine is sold prior to it being bottled.
Bordeaux
Bordeaux has a rich history of winemaking, dating back to the Roman times. Today, it is known as one of the most significant wine regions in the world, with a reputation for producing complex, full-bodied red wines. The region is home to a diverse range of terroirs, each with its own unique microclimate, soil composition, and grape varieties.
The left bank of Bordeaux is dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon, which thrives in the region's gravelly soils. These wines tend to be bold, tannic, and complex, with notes of blackcurrant, cedar, and tobacco. On the right bank, Merlot is king, producing wines that are softer and fruitier, with notes of plum, cherry, and chocolate.
Aside from the red blends, Bordeaux is also renowned for its sweet wines, particularly from the Sauternes and Barsac appellations. These wines are made using a unique process that involves botrytis, or "noble rot," which concentrates the sugars in the grapes, resulting in a lusciously sweet and complex wine.
Bordeaux's classification system has evolved over time, with some estates moving up or down the ranks depending on the quality of their wines. Today, the system includes five growths, with Premier Cru being the highest and Deuxièmes Crus being the second-highest. There is also a separate classification for the sweet wines of Sauternes and Barsac, with Chateau d’Yquem holding the highest rank.
Overall, Bordeaux is a region that continues to captivate wine enthusiasts around the world with its rich history, diverse terroirs, and exceptional wines.
Saint-Julien
Saint-Julien is an appellation for distinctive red wines of the Haut-Médoc district of Bordeaux in the South West of France. The Appellation laws for Saint-Julien were created in 1936 and state that its wines must be made from grapes grown within the villages of Saint-Julien Beychevelle, or other specific parts of the areas of Cussac and Saint-Laurent. Some of the most renowned grapes approved for growth here are Cabernet-Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot. Located between the more famous appellations of Pauillac and Margaux, this wine region is a respectable source of refined, aromatic wines which also carry tannic and masculine notes.
Producing over 450,000 cases of wine each year, Saint-Julien is divided into two vital areas, which include the riverside estates around the village of St. Julien and Southern estates around the village of Beychevelle. Home to over 26 vineyards spanning an area of 910 hectares, this area is the smallest of the major Bordeaux appellations in Médoc, but has the highest ratio of classified terroir of any Bordeaux region. The soil type of this region is made up of extremely fine gravel for the vineyards bordering the river and for those vineyards more inland, the gravel is mixed with clay, that produce grapes with a wide spectrum of explosive flavour.
About the brand Chateau Gruaud-Larose
The Property Has A Younger History Than Most Of Its Cohorts. Its Origins Date To 1725 And The Knight Joseph Stanislas Gruaud. The Property Was Called Fond-bedeau, And Was Administered By Two Gruauds; One A Priest And The Other A Magistrate. The Magistrate, The Chevalier Du Gruaud, Died In 1778 And His Part Of The Property Was Deeded To Joseph Sebastian De La Rose, Who Renamed This Property Gruaud-la Rose Or Gruaud-larose. This Piece Was Classified As A Second Growth In 1855.
Control Of The Property Was Split Among Multiple Descendants, But The Property Remained Intact Until 1867 When It Was Split Into Château Gruaud-larose-sarget (After The Baron Sarget) And Château Gruaud-larose-faure (After Adrien Faure, Who Married One Sophie Bethmann, Heiress To A Portion Of The Estate).
The Two Châteaux Were Reunited By The Cordier Family, Who Purchased The Sarget Piece In 1917 And The Faure Piece In 1935; The Château Became A Centerpiece Of The Many Cordier Properties Along With Château Lafaurie-peyraguey And Château Talbot.
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