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Gruaud Larose 2018

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

This famous and historic Saint Julien 2nd growth is popular throughout the world and is usually released at the most reasonable price of all the so-called "super-seconds". The 82 hectare vineyard is one of the largest of the classed growths. The 2018 blend is 67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot and 9% Cabernet Franc.

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Label

Tasting Notes

Aromas of currants, blackberries, dried flowers, dark chocolate and tobacco leaves. Citrus zest, too. It’s full-bodied with firm, ultra fine tannins. Complex and layered with a juicy core of ripe fruit. Silky and delicious. Very creamy and fine-tannined. Better from 2025.

95
James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com, March 2021

Composed of 67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot and 9% Cabernet Franc, the 2018 Gruaud Larose has a medium to deep garnet-purple color. It comes barreling out of the glass with powerful scents of blackberry preserves, baked plums and crème de cassis plus hints of fruitcake, Indian spices and tobacco leaf. The medium to full-bodied palate offers bags of baked berries flavors and a chewy texture with just enough freshness, finishing spicy. Judging by the slightly rustic tannins and suggestions of dried berry characters, I'm guessing the heat and drought had an impact this year. This said, the wine is very well crafted and delicious right now, although a good 3-4 years in bottle should soften the tannins and bring out further nuances. 2024 - 2038

92
Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, Wine Advocate (End of Mar), March 2021

Tasted blind. Tea-leaf aroma. Polished tannins and unusually sweet fruit. Not too alcoholic though. Fine boned and an agreeable, well-balanced claret. 14.5%
Drink 2026 – 2042

16.5
Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com, February 2022

67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Franc; 85% new oak. Barrel sample.
Darkest, smudgy black-cherry colour. Lifted cassis and a hint of tea leaf. Paper-fine layers of tannins but not a lot of juice on the palate. Savoury, dark but slightly flat finish. (JH) 14%
Drink 2025-2033

16
Julia Harding MW, JancisRobinson.com, April 2019

Black fruited on the nose, with hints of coffee bean and liquorice. The palate is classically medocain, with firm but ripe tannins, bright acidity and cedar black fruit. Medium bodied, there are savoury tones of cigar box and peppers. The finish is bright and clean, cooler than many in this vintage, but it is a classically proportioned St Julien.

91+
Farr Vintners, Farr Tasting, April 2019

(67 Cabernet Sauvignon, 24 Merlot, 9 Cabernet Franc) | 90% new oak | 14.2% alc With a superb nose and a detailed palate with red and black fruit notes in harmony, this is a well-balanced Gruaud and while it is long and complete I felt that there was a little something missing and so while I was tempted to bump up the score to 18.5, in the end I stuck with a noble 18.

18+
Matthew Jukes, MatthewJukes.com, April 2019
Read more tasting notes...

This is really generous and rolls off the tongue with ripe and velvety tannins and a fresh undertone. Full-bodied, firm and silky. Extremely long and flavorful. Very complex already.

95/96
James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com, April 2019

The 2018 Gruaud Larose is blended of 67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot and 9% Cabernet Franc, with a pH of 3.88 and 14.2% alcohol. Deep garnet-purple in color, it leaps from the glass with bold black cherries, mulberries, plum preserves and blackcurrant cordial scents with hints of menthol, lilacs, licorice and cloves plus wafts of fallen leaves and tilled soil. Medium to full-bodied with a taut core of ripe, densely packed, muscular fruit, it has a firm line of ripe, grainy tannins and just enough freshness, finishing long and spicy. Very exotic Gruaud!

95/97
Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, Wine Advocate (April 2019), April 2019
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.