Château Gruaud Larose 2005

The Château Gruaud Larose 2005 has an open bouquet: quite savoury in style with touches of bacon fat and cured meat infusing the black fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with slightly angular tannin. The acidity is well judged although it still needs to develop a little cohesion towards the finish. It seems to have just lost a little length since I last tasted it – obviously still going through its awkward “teenager” moment. I am sure it will come down from its bedroom at some point and those sage and thyme notes on the aftertaste continue to appeal.

Aromas of blackberry, meat and earth follow through to a full body, with velvety tannins and a rich finish. Decadent, balanced and very approachable already. I thought it would have been a little better than this. Best after 2014.

The 2005 Gruaud Larose was tasted from two bottles at the estate as the first was corked. The second offers intense black fruit with juniper and cedar notes, but something prevents it from blossoming, like the 1982, for example. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy black fruit. It's a broad-shouldered Gruaud with a firm grip, sapid and muscular with a demonstrative finish that just needs to learn a few manners. This is a bit...gruff! Yet, it is a notch above the vintages of this era. Tasted at the Gruaud Larose vertical at the château in February 2023.

The nose kicks off with black currants, cedar, tobacco, and savory herbs. The palate is quite classic in style, with a firm, tannic spine. There is ample concentration, but not quite enough to balance out the large amount of remaining tannins. Drink from 2026-2040.

Real connoisseurs drink Bordeaux with fondue. Here, fruity examples work just as well as more mature styles. The Gruaud-Larose is underpinned by good dark fruit and shows delicate hints of maturity. The palate is juicy and full-bodied, with dark berry fruit, a firm tannin structure, and enlivening freshness on the finish.

Fully mature, with a pretty, perfumed, almost understated style, the 2005 Château Gruaud Larose has classic red and black fruits, spicy herbs, leather, and some underbrush notes in a medium-bodied, balanced, silky package that's drinking nicely today. There's no upside here, but it will clearly continue evolving for another decade or more.

Dark violet with an almost black sheen. Rich, almost creamy bouquet, blackcurrant, lots of black currant, tar notes indicating depth, spicy, a hint of truffle. Grand presence on the palate, noble tannins, pronounced astringency, solid frame, an extreme concentration of aromas, smoky Cabernet and plenty of licorice on the finish that tastes of endlessly many different black berries. Will be one of the more affordable 19-point wines.

Dark violet with an almost black sheen, rich, almost creamy bouquet, blackcurrants and lots of black currant, tar notes indicating depth and, with a spicy touch, a hint of truffle digging deep. Grand presence on the palate, noble tannins, generous astringency, firm build, an extreme concentration of aromas, smoky Cabernet and plenty of licorice in the finish that tastes of endlessly many different black berries. Will probably be one of the more affordable options among all those 19-point wines. 07: Simply perfect in its harmony and elegance! 08: Big, fleshy, powerful, almost a Pauillac in its strength and force, needs lots of time! 09: In Geneva I wrote a big “Wow” and bought. (19/20). 14: At the Unterlauelen on a hike. It was simply insane. Once again a brilliant Gruaud for little money! (19/20). 16: Lucien decanted a magnum at 10 a.m. We sat at the table after 8 p.m. And it was still very young. So perhaps not even at its first drinking maturity yet. In return it radiates a long life. (19/20). 17: A magnum didn’t quite want to cooperate. Neither still fruity nor yet expressing terroir. So wedged exactly in the middle. Decant longer. (19/20). 18: A double magnum at Daniel Roth. That one was then less closed than last year’s regular bottle. It is completely straight and simply “beautifull”. (19/20). 18: Very dark purple-garnet, dense in the middle. Intense spicy bouquet, licorice, Sichuan pepper, pumpernickel, Guinness beer and black dried olives. It goes enormously deep. On the second nose, blackcurrant and likewise black cherries. On the palate juicy, fine, showing royal tannins, long and full of harmony. One of the noblest Gruauds of recent times. Still quite affordable on the market. You get a Premier Cru for the price of a Troisième! The impatient can already begin. Intelligent wine connoisseurs will wait. (19/20). 22: Deep purple, dense core. Floral bouquet, minimal greenish Cabernet notes, demi-glace, freshly crushed black peppercorns, Bakelite notes, dark precious woods. Somehow, on the nose, it hasn’t quite found itself yet. The palate shows fine sandiness and grain. The tannins are still bumpy and harmony and maturity are still missing. The aromatics are there; the tannins call for further aging. Can it ever overtake the surprisingly great 2004? Maybe, but the price will always remain higher. So the comparison formula doesn’t (yet) quite fit here. Decant three hours. This bottle: 18/20.

Stately ruby red, raspberry and cassis fruits, still young, needs another few years to fully open and integrate, but everything is there for a brilliant wine with pleasure. This is a château that always takes its time, and needs half an hour in the glass to reveal smoked vanilla bean, sweet raspberry purée, turmeric spice, fresh acidity and crushed mint. Not showing quite as well as it did at a château vertical last year, but this is still a wonderful wine, and is one to look out for. Harvest September 20 to October 11, 35% new oak.

The 2005 Gruaud Larose is medium to deep garnet-brick in color. It needs a moment of swirling to bring out fragrant notes of rosehip tea, crushed rocks, dried lavender, and red loam leading to a core of prunes, redcurrant jelly, and black truffles. The medium-bodied palate shimmers with energetic black and red berry layers supported by firm, fine-grained tannins and lovely tension, finishing long and minerally.

This 2005 impresses with its structure. It finishes with abundant tannins that still need to integrate.

The 2005 bouquet is true to itself: it reveals itself slowly and deserves a decant. Plenty of diversity and complexity, with notes of bread, cocoa beans, black olives and malt. The tannic structure is outstanding for its finesse and precision. It brings breadth without being overpowering and signals exceptional aging potential, also thanks to its perfect harmony with the acid structure. Gruaud Larose 2005 has always struggled to show itself, to open up, but today it proudly asserts its place among the very greatest wines of Bordeaux. Fruity finish, slightly saline and very persistent.

A lovely burst of fruit sets this wine apart, with a velvety body and elegant, flavorful tannins on the finish.

This is always a wine that has split opinion in 2005. In this example I found a beautifully balanced nose of subtle black fruit showing great power and intensity. A rustic edge. Menthol and eucalyptus help deliver some refreshing notes that bely the power. The palate has silky fine tannins, with an inky and blackberry filled finish. An exceptionally good Gruaud.

This tastes of great Cabernet Sauvignon, with its black currant, cedar and herbs and fresh, juicy acidity. It is as fresh as it is rich, but it has a structure of dense tannins that balances the wine. This is one of the best wines from Gruaud-Larose for several years.