Sarget de Gruaud Larose 2019

The 2019 Sarget de Gruaud-Larose has a well-defined bouquet with tertiary red berry fruit, understated initially but gaining intensity with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy black fruit, quite tarry with a fair proportion of tobacco and black pepper on the finish. There is quite a lot going on in this wine and it should age well in bottle. Tasted blind at the Southwold annual tasting. Drink 2026-2040

Tasted blind. Quite subtle colour. Toasty nose. Deep and savoury with excellent fruit-tannin balance – and no shortage of acidity! Well done. A little fresher than wine 4 in this flight (Ch Haut-Marbuzet). (Drink between 2026-2040)

The 2019 Sarget de Gruaud Larose, bottled May 2021, has a light bouquet at first, gradually gaining fruité with scents of kirsch and raspberry coulis. The palate is medium-bodied and quite compact right now, delivering grainy tannins and touches of graphite toward the finish, but just attenuating a little early at the moment. 2022 - 2030