2018 chateau gruaud larose 2eme cru classe, saint-julien
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Why We're Buying
At almost 300 years old, Château Gruaud-Larose is young by French wine estate standards. Despite the "late" start, its Saint Julien vineyard produces robust Bordeaux with decades of aging potential.
Critics Scores
Wine Enthusiast
From one of the more inland of the Saint-Julien estates, away from the Gironde estuary, this wine is generous in fruit, with soft tannins and lively acidity. It is finely structured and will age well over the medium-term.
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
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!
Decanter
This is good quality, not exactly generous but clearly carefully extracted - they kept the simultaneous alcoholic and malolactic fermentations to between 24°C and 26°C. It's packed full of flavour, with real precision to the fruit. Bramble and hedgerow scents suggest a firm acidity and a structure that's built to last, while still being appetising and full of pleasure. As it opens in the glass, liquorice and dark chocolate come to the fore. A wine that will age well without question. 85 new oak. Drinking Window 2027 - 2040. Barrel Sample: 94
James Suckling
This is really generous and rolls off the tongue with ripe and velvety tannins and a fresh undertone. Full-bodied, firm and silky. Extremely long and flavorful. Very complex already.