Farr Vintners Logo

Gruaud Larose 1989

RegionBordeaux
Subregion France > Bordeaux > Left Bank > St Julien
ColourRed
TypeStill
Grape VarietyCabernet Sauvignon/Merlot

View all vintages of this wine | View all wines by Château Gruaud Larose

Label

Tasting Notes

89
Robert Parker, Bordeaux Book (4), December 2003

The 1989 Gruaud Larose is evolving very slowly, and its impressively youthful structure and vibrant flavors auger very well for its future. Offering up aromas of sweet berry fruit, cigar wrapper, loamy soil and cedar, it's medium to full-bodied, with a rich core of fruit, lively acids and fine but still present tannins. As this develops in the cellar, it's showing more plenitude and mid-palate volume than it did a decade ago, and for patient readers this is emerging as a comparatively underestimated 1989 Médoc. Drink 2020-2045.

92
William Kelley, Wine Advocate, February 2022

The 1989 Gruaud Larose is a wine that I have tasted a dozen or so times since back in 2001, most recently in 2012. The bottle was poured against several Californian wines that might be unfair, however, I do feel that this vintage has maybe peaked several years ago. Here it was well defined on the nose as usual, with scents of undergrowth, sandalwood and a touch of sage. It certainly lacks the joie-de-vivre that I expect. The palate is medium-bodied with fine grain tannin, nicely judged acidity and quite compact black fruit, though this is a little more staid than before, certainly lacking the flamboyance of the 1990 Gruaud (for example). It is a thoroughly decent Gruaud that just fails to engage the same way as previous examples. Tasted over dinner at Chez Bruce. 2018 - 2030

90
Neal Martin, vinous.com, July 2018
92
Farr Vintners, September 2004

A classic, old school Saint-Julien, the 1989 Château Gruaud Larose offers a smorgasbord-like array of red and black fruits, saddle leather, cigar box, and smoke tobacco. Medium-bodied and nicely concentrated, with good mid-palate density, it's not the most elegant wine and still has some present tannins, but it sure brings plenty of character. It opens up nicely with time in the glass as well, and while it's unquestionably drinking at point, it certainly has another 15 years of evolution. Drink 2023-2038.

92
Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com, April 2023
Read more tasting notes...

The 1989 was excellent, nearly outstanding. The herbal side of Gruaud-Larose was more noticeable, but the wine revealed a deep ruby/purple color (but not the opaqueness of the 1990), more obvious tannin, without the mid-palate and sweet inner core of fruit exhibited by the 1990. It is a big, tannic, spicy wine, with plently of potential but not the sweetness and chewy texture of the 1990. The 1989 needs some time to shed its cloak of tannin; give it 5-8 years of cellaring and drink it over the following 20+ years. Last tasted, 11/96.

89
Robert Parker, Bordeaux Book (3), November 1998

Tasted at The Ledbury Gruaud Larose lunch, the 1989 was one of the standout wines of the tasting. It displays wonderful definition on the nose, more clarity than the 1990 alongside, with hints of sandalwood, Provencal herbs, white fennel and a touch of mint. The palate is medium-bodied and beautifully balanced, demonstrating a tad more composure than the 1990 with good weight on the linear finish. I like the control here, the sense of finesse. Drinking perfectly now.

92
Neal Martin, RobertParker.com, January 2012
Please note that these tasting notes/scores are not intended to be exhaustive and in some cases they may not be the most recently published figures. However, we always do our best to add latest scores and reviews when these come to our attention. We advise customers who wish to purchase wines based simply on critical reviews to carry out further research into the latest reports.