Château Gruaud Larose 2019

The unique style of a Saint-Julien Grand Cru Classé

The estate
A historical reference of the Saint-Julien appellation, Château Gruaud Larose was founded in 1757, when different estates merged. The property received its current name when the heir of Joseph Gruaud added "Larose" to his name, thus becoming Château Gruaud Larose. Acquired by the Merlaut family in 1997, Château Gruaud Larose embodies the excellence of the fine red wines of Saint-Julien and seduces fans of the appellation with its signature style.

The vineyard
Enjoying a superb location in the Saint-Julien appellation, the Château Gruaud Larose vineyard covers 82 hectares of Quaternary Garonne gravel soils, more than 600,000 years old. The vines are 46 years old on average. The vineyard of Château Gruaud Larose is managed with sustainable viticultural practices that show respect to the environment, such as soil ploughing, the use of organic fertilisers, planting hedges, grassing the vine rows and introducing sheep to graze the latter.

The vintage
Following a rainy winter and a mild March, the budding of the vines started early. Due to the proximity of the vineyard to the Gironde, the Château Gruaud Larose vineyards were only slightly affected by the frost in April. The very hot weather in July and August dried out the vineyard after the threat of downy mildew. Thanks to the summer storms, excess water stress was avoided. The harvest began with Merlot on September 20 and ended on October 8 with Cabernet.

The winemaking
Fermentation in 50% cement, 50% thermoregulated oak vats.

The ageing
18 months in French oak barrels, 80% of which are oak wood.

The blend
Cabernet sauvignon (72%), cabernet franc (3%), merlot (25%).