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Gruaud Larose 2006

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

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Tasting Notes

Deep, intense brambly fruit unfurls gently over the palate. Not yet reached its tertiary stage but this knows where it is going, and doesn’t mind taking a pause before softly sliding towards autumnal flavours. Tannins have a little extra bite on the finish. A very classy, classic St-Julien.

93
Jane Anson, Decanter.com, September 2016

The 2006 Château Gruaud Larose can be a divisive wine. At ten years of age, it shows some inertia on the nose: sultry blackberry and briary fruit, nicely defined but lacking what I call "flow." The palate is medium-bodied with dusty tannin, rather rustic red berry fruit laced with sandalwood and tar, fading a little towards the soft, easy-going finish. Not bad...but I have encountered many superior wines from this Saint Julien estate.

88
Neal Martin, RobertParker.com, May 2016

Shows plum and raspberry aromas, with hints of flowers. Full-bodied, with super well-integrated tannins and pretty fruit on the middle palate. All there in balance and finesse. Best after 2013. 20,000 cases made

90
James Suckling, WineSpectator.com, March 2009

Blackish crimson. Zesty nose with the merest hint of oak. Well put together even if embryonic - super smooth and easy and there is absolutely nothing for anyone to object to even if no-one would go to bed dreaming of this wine. I am churlish to even voice a hint of complaint. Very well done, if slightly bureaucratic.

17
Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com, April 2007

Good deep red. Musky, gamey aromas of plum, dark chocolate, cocoa powder and roasted oak. Fat, plummy and lush, but with decent spine to give the wine shape. Sweet but not overly so, offering more breadth than depth. Finishes with dusty, horizontal tannins.

89
Stephen Tanzer, International Wine Cellar, May 2009
Read more tasting notes...

Tasted at the UGC where it was rather ostentatious with dark chocolate and a slight tinny note on the mid-palate that I rated 90/100. Fortunately I was able to re-taste in London in quieter surroundings mid-April. A fragrant nose that is fleshy and ripe with blackberry, cassis and wild hedgerow. It could do with perhaps a little more precision and clarity. The medium-bodied palate is much more harmonious and focused than the one shown in Bordeaux, supple in texture with rounded black fruits. Tight and linear on the finish with a touch of burnt toast, this will be a very fine Gruaud Larose, but it will need 5 or 6-years to meld together. No Malbec this year by the way. Tasted April 2007.

91/93
Neal Martin, RobertParker.com, April 2007

Velvety and fruity. Lots of mineral and berry character. I would like to see a little more fruit in the center palate, but it's clean and racy. And it should grow in the barrel. Better than the 2005. Close to 92-94.

89/91
James Suckling, WineSpectator.com, March 2007

Moderately saturated red-ruby. Currant and plum aromas along with strong cedary oak. Juicy, minerally and sweet, with very good energy to the subtly intense fruit and nutty oak flavors. Finishes with firm tannins and lovely persistence. The ultimate blend here contains a considerably higher percentage of cabernet franc (11%) than did the sample presented to me last spring, and this has given the wine a light touch and more perfume.

89/90
Stephen Tanzer, International Wine Cellar, June 2008
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.