Château Gruaud Larose 2020

Reserved yet very promising; with an almost erratic structure, it shows impressive pedigree, density and depth, as well as great fruity length; a Gruaud of exceptional class.

A more serious, more clearly structured effort than the suave 2019, the 2020 Gruaud Larose opens in the glass with aromas of blackcurrants and blackberries mingled with subtle hints of burning embers, pencil shavings and violets, framed by a deft touch of classy new oak. Medium to full-bodied, deep and concentrated, with rich, powdery tannins and vibrant fruit flavors, it concludes with an impressively penetrating finish. However, it appears likely to require patience.

Rock-solid, with a core of dark plum, boysenberry and blackberry compote flavors held together with cedar, savory, tobacco and singed apple wood notes that add texture and energy through the finish. Built for the cellar. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2030 through 2040. 9,250 cases made.

Detailed and delicate, this has a seductive charm to it, slowly displaying scented blueberries and raspberries, before layers of salty minerality, liquorice, and cooling blue fruits come into play as well as tobacco and liquorice adding a savoury touch. It’s not immediately upfront - more calm and collected, slowly growing in stature and presence. Tannins are fine but mouthcoating, giving the structure, this isn't a light wine, but it's supremely elegant and excellently textured. Impressive complexity and drama here, still very serious but it's sublime too. A luminous wine I'd love to own.

A lovely softness and texture to this wine with a medium to full body, plenty of fruit and fine, velvety tannins. 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.

The 2020 Gruaud-Larose is a powerful, dense wine. Super-ripe dark cherry, kirsch, menthol, licorice, rose petal and espresso infuse the palate with tremendous intensity. Unctuous and flamboyant, the 2020 also offers plenty of energy to keep things in balance. The 2020 is very much an extrovert, a gorgeous extrovert at that. Sweet floral and spice accents, along with a hint of sweet French oak, linger.

Cigar box, smoke, herbs, cassis, espresso and blackberries with a savory edge open the wine aromatically. The palate offers freshness, layers of ripe, spicy currants and peppery blackberries with chewy tannins that really hang with you, providing length, vibrancy and refinement in the finish. This is going to age and evolve for decades. Drink from 2027-2060.

Dark ruby garnet, purple reflections, opaque core, delicate rim brightening. Ripe heart cherries, fine plum fruit, light noble wood, candied orange zest background. Medium complexity, red cherries, vivid tannins, mineral on the finish, leafy, still needs its time. (2025-2055).

Coming from the talented Virginie Salette (the head winemaker since 2017) and tiny yields of 32 hectoliters per hectare, the 2020 Château Gruaud Larose is 79% Cabernet, 14% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc, which continues the trend at this estate toward more and more Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend. Beautifully done, with a terrific sense of finesse, it offers a great nose of both red and black fruit as well as leafy tobacco, spring flowers, licorice, and spicy oak. Pure, medium to full-bodied, and wonderfully balanced, with fine tannins, it shows the focused, inward, almost understated style of the vintage without any rusticity or austerity. It needs a solid 7-8 years of bottle age, if not a decade, and is going to be very long-lived. Bravo.

Kunz barrel sample 2021: (45% Cabernet Sauvignon, 48% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, 4% Petit Verdot, 13.44% vol. alcohol, 30 hl/ha) Deep, dense, mineral, powerful, complex bouquet—cassis, plums, dark tobacco, cedar, cold smoke, truffle, currants. Elegantly powerful, layered, aromatic palate with dense dark fruit, a concentrated, well-muscled structure, plenty of fine tannins, concentrated, varied dark aromatics, and a very long, dense, powerful finish with explosive after-flavors.

(45% Cabernet Sauvignon, 48% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, 4% Petit Verdot, 13.44% alc./vol., 30 hl/ha) Deep, dense, mineral, powerful and complex bouquet, cassis, plums, dark tobacco, cedar, cold smoke, truffle, currants. Elegantly powerful, multi-layered, aromatic palate with dense dark fruit, a concentrated, well-muscled structure, plenty of fine tannins, concentrated, varied dark aromatics, very long, dense, powerful finish with explosive afterflavors. 19/20 2029 - 2060

Beautiful depth and character here, with violet flowers on the first nose. Supple but present tannins, there is architecture and a firm core to this wine, something to hold on to as it ages, with the classic elegance of 2020 giving shoulders and tension to the tannins. As it opens you find ruby red fruits, raspberry and loganberry along with pencil lead and smoked earth. The construction is impressive, a clear sign that Gruaud Larose is back up among the greatest estates of St Julien, living up to its 1855 2nd Growth billing. In organic conversion as of 2019, with certification due in 2022 for the vineyard, 95% new oak, 1/3 of production in this wine (following extensive vineyard replantings, so this percentage will rise over the next decade). Virginie Sallette winemaker, Eric Boissenot consultant. Harvest from October 9 to 24.

The opaque purple-black colored 2020 Gruaud Larose comes bounding out of the glass with exuberant notes of crushed black cherries, juicy blackberries, and fresh black currants, followed by hints of sassafras, dark chocolate, and violets. Medium-bodied, the palate is very tightly coiled at this nascent stage, featuring firm, ripe, grainy tannins, and beautiful freshness to support the bright black berry and floral layers, finishing long and fragrant.

96-97

A captivating nose, highly classic, with shimmering aromas of perfectly ripe fruit, flowers, after eight, something dark and melancholic, fresh and soft. On the palate, simply delicious, with a cashmere-like texture, notes of wild strawberries, prune, clove and dark chocolate, tannins you can sink your teeth into, and a very long finish.

An eye for detail, subtlety and delicacy seem to be a given at Gruaud-Larose, and yet, every year it takes tireless effort to reach such a level. And this is precisely where Gruaud-Larose ranks among the elite of St-Julien, thanks to its ability to deliver great wines year after year. Mirroring the bouquet, the palate shows high definition, with tight yet integrated tannins that have the substance needed to carry the wine through the decades to come. A dense, youthful, precise and powerful wine. Such relevance and consistency! Bravo

The nose is racy, elegant and offers delicacy, a certain power (with finesse), subtle controlled richness, subtlety, and a fine tight/compact character. It reveals notes of pulpy/fleshy blackberry, fleshy/bright strawberry and, more lightly, cherry, combined with touches of flowers (lily/violet/almost white flowers), small fleshy/crushed berries, toasted almond, spices, as well as a discreet hint of cardamom and vanilla. The palate is fruity and offers freshness, minerality, good definition, indulgence, a certain juiciness, a fine acidic backbone, tension, straightness/precision, an elongated feel, as well as contained richness, elegance and control. On the palate, this wine expresses notes of pulpy/juicy cherry, redcurrant and, more lightly, bright blackcurrant, combined with touches of violet, racy minerality, and fine hints of lilac, sweet spices, cardamom, discreet toasted notes, hazelnut, caramelization, and a very discreet hint of vanilla (in the background). The tannins are precise, elegant, finely handled and offer a touch of plushness. Good length and persistence. A fine chew on the finish/persistence.