2020 Château Gruaud-Larose Saint-Julien Grand Cru Classé

Château Gruaud-Larose is a wine estate in Bordeaux and a second cru in the Bordeaux wine classification system of 1855. It is located in the village of Saint-Julien. For a long time it was one of the most important chateaux of the village, overshadowed only by the - originally undivided - Léoville. This cru, located behind Ch. Branaire Ducru and next to Ch. Lagrange, enjoys a wonderful terroir of rock deposits (from the Gironde, 700,000 years ago). It has belonged to the Merlaut family since 1997 and in recent years the wines have received very high ratings without exception and their Gruaud-Larose is above all a super feminine, refined and delicate, but beautifully concentrated St. Julien. The vineyards are (or are in conversion) to organic viticulture.

The Gruaud Laroseis a blend of mainly Cabernet Sauvignon and approx. 25% Merlot supplemented with Petit verdot and Cabernet Franc. In the glass it has a dark red color with a purple hue. In the nose, the wine is already expressive, so that promises something for the future. We smell aromas of ripe cherries, mulberries, plum preserves, blackcurrant with hints of menthol, lilacs, licorice and cloves plus flurries of fallen leaves and tilled soil. Medium to full bodied with a tight core of ripe, tightly packed, muscular fruit, a solid line of ripe, grainy tannins and plenty of freshness, with a long and spicy finish. Suckling (96/100) ends his review with : "It's lovely to taste now and will age beautifully. Really seductive. Hard not to drink now but one for the cellar. Best to try after 2025"