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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 89.9 pts. and median of 91 pts. in 80 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by parkline_wine on 10/13/2023 & rated 94 points: Great showing from this bottle, the cork was in rough shape but it came out fine with the trusty durand. Needed about 30 mins to really get going, and peaked about 45-1 hour in. Awesome tertiary flavors but with some still primary, albeit dried fruit elements. Lovely structure given the age. What else could I ask for! (664 views) | | | Tasted by stefad on 8/27/2023 & rated 94 points: Bouteille issue d'un lot de 3x75cl d'une vente aux enchères et la meilleure des 3 !
Ouverte et servie de suite, bouchon totalement imbibé (recours au Durand obligé pour éviter la casse de ce dernier).
Robe tuilée évanescente, nez très complexe aux arômes tertiaires, cuir, champignons, fumée, pot pourri… En bouche le vin est suave, avec fruité étonnant pour ses 53 ans.
Très belle surprise partagée avec couple d'amis. 94/100 (758 views) | | | Tasted by Whitman on 5/2/2023 & rated 94 points: Cassis just jumps out of the glass( pop and poured) and later theres graphite, lead pencil and tobacco on the rich nose. The palate is full bodied with rich sweet fruit and a pretty long persistent, but also dry finish. The palate is much better than the bottle i had 1,5 year ago and this is pretty primary for a 53 years old wine. Gruaud Larose is never an elegant wine, but this is impressive. (1088 views) | | | Tasted by Jake Barnes on 1/21/2023 & rated 83 points: One of five wines I served to friends as part of a ‘60s, ‘70s, and ‘80s Bordeaux retrospective that also included the following:
1961 Calon-Segur
1966 Lascombes
1982 Grand-Puy-Lacoste
1986 Grand-Puy-Lacoste
With the exception of the wines from the 1980s, all of these bottles could rightly be said to be well into the back nine of life with the eighteenth hole in sight. That being said, none of them were expired, off, or even especially tired, and despite the oldest ones being very tertiary, they all showed some degree of aged fruit. In finality, all of the wines fell somewhere on a spectrum between the upper end of “poor” and the lower end of “very good.”
From a bottle purchased at retail with a fill 5.5cm below the cork, this was the least enjoyable bottle of the tasting to my palate, showing a little sour red fruit that came across like canned asparagus. It was one very experienced taster’s WOTN. Just more evidence that palates vary. 13% ABV (poor/*/13.5/83) (1414 views) | | | Tasted by Mill Run on 10/23/2022: Was somewhat skeptical on condition considering age & fill level (high shoulder) but perfectly evolved claret. Cork was fully saturated by firm, drinkable right away but moderate improvement over time. Drank perfectly over a 2 hour period. Drink or hold. (1550 views) | | | Tasted by wineforth on 5/3/2022 & rated 91 points: In neck level but cork fully wet so needed opening. Medium to light colour. Fairly clean blackcurrant nose. Dry, sweet and persistent finish. (2075 views) | | | Tasted by paulst on 3/31/2022 & rated 86 points: Rough; mature; tainted; light blackberry. (1913 views) | | | Tasted by Whitman on 12/11/2021 & rated 93 points: Doesn't look like a very old wine, but with an orange rim. The nose is simply put delicious and complex. First with forest floor and earth, later tobacco og sweet black-currant and a metallic note. A medium palate with sweet fruit and black-currant ending in a fine medium quite dry finish. The finish is very dry in the beginning but it feels like it develops and later there is more fruit in the finish to balance the dryness.
It is still fresh and a treat to taste a 50 years old wine that's so good. I dont know how to rate, but it would be like nose 94-95, palate 92-93.
When you read Parker's note from 1996(86 p.) it is clear how well Gruaud Larose develops and that Gruaud Larose might be much better at 50 than 25 years.
Kudos to Gruaud Larose. (2039 views) | | | Tasted by SLR204 on 11/26/2021 & rated 94 points: Still drinking well! Fully broken down tannins, very smooth and light texture. Wonderful nose of light earth and spiced fruits. Dark and light flavors of earth, tobacco, black fruits, spices. Delicious. (1857 views) | | | Tasted by paulst on 11/1/2021 & rated 97 points: Earth, cedar and blackberry nose; lean yet deep with fully resolved tannin; long earth and sweet blackberry finish. (1941 views) | | | Tasted by europat55 on 7/15/2021 & rated 92 points: Gorgeous nose (93); Outstanding palate (91) (1808 views) | | | Tasted by paulst on 4/18/2021 & rated 93 points: Nicely mature; light and balanced; clean soft smooth finish. (2082 views) | | | Tasted by mdahar on 4/17/2021 & rated 90 points: Done after 30 minutes (1608 views) | | | Tasted by paulst on 4/11/2021 & rated 93 points: Earthy light raspberry-blackberry; tar; cedar; light blackberry and cedar with earth and semi-sweet finish. (1788 views) | | | Tasted by paulst on 3/18/2021 & rated 93 points: Light with some tart-sweet blackberry; fully integrated and smooth with coarseness; earth; long blackberry based finish. (1791 views) | | | Tasted by paulst on 3/1/2021 & rated 94 points: Leather, cedar and tar nose; tart blackberry; balanced tannic support; earth and gravel; tart blackberry and semi-sweet finish. (1711 views) | | | Tasted by paulst on 2/17/2021 & rated 93 points: Damp basement; cedar and light blackberry; soft integrated tannin; balanced and complex with tobacco and light cherry-mocha; lean and elegant finish. (1588 views) | | | Tasted by acorelli on 8/29/2020 & rated 88 points: Some fruit remains. At opening, seemed overly acidic, but the wine opened up and became better balanced after 20 or 30 minutes. Not wonderful wine, but a wonderful experience. (1874 views) | | | Tasted by Jake Barnes on 1/31/2020 & rated 87 points: (1/31/20) Ullage 5.5cm below the cork (Cordier bottle). The cork was soaked all the way up but was in good shape and almost came out in one piece.
The wine was very light garnet through and through. It was light bodied, and the nose, like the palate, was completely tertiary. The tannins were resolved, but the wine was still alive and had a very good vein of acidity running through it, giving it a decent, juicy finish.
On the second night, it was even better. It was a bit softer; the nose and palate were more open, and there seemed to be some black cherry underneath all the tertiary aromas and flavors.
This was a birth year wine for me, and all in all, a very enjoyable bottle. I have one more from the same source; 13% abv. (**/14.5/87) (2455 views) | | | Tasted by sdr on 11/5/2019 & rated 86 points: Obituary: 1970 Bordeaux: Magnum bottle. I was hoping for something better from this fine second growth St. Julien. Unfortunately this tasting confirmed my previous mediocre experience with it. The average color was actually the best part. Nothing on the nose. Just generic old wine and too acidic, too. No amount of CPR could revive this one. (3004 views) | | | Tasted by englishman's claret on 6/8/2018 & rated 91 points: This boasts a clean blackberry, mineral, saline, oak nose without the funk you might expect from Cordier era Gruaud Larose. The polished palate doesn't pack much of a punch and there is some 1970 angularity, but the oak is so well integrated and this just slips right down. Don't wait. (4476 views) | | | Tasted by RockinCabs on 6/4/2018 & rated 91 points: Nose: Sweet red/black fruit, minimal cordier funk but a few tobacco notes. Palate: Light in the mouth and delivering broad swath of cherry, blackberry and leather with the patina of age. A bit one note, and clean on the palate for it age. Finish: Tobacco, cedar and smokey red fruit.
Not thrilling, but a very true to form Gruaud Larose from the 70's. Color was a nice ruby with slight orange at the edges. Perfect with the Morell Risotto and Veal Chop. (3978 views) | | | Tasted by acyso on 4/9/2018 & rated 90 points: Bordeaux night at Table, Donkey and Stick (Chicago, IL): Still very much alive and kicking, with all those classic Cordier notes of leather and animal and funk. But at the same time, there's still some fruit on the palate, to go with that rustic quality. Nonetheless, this is a wine dominated by leather and earth. Not much upside from here, I'm inclined to say this is one on its last legs. (4880 views) | | | Tasted by bablues on 12/9/2017: 7th Annual Christmas dinner and cellar raid (Naperville, IL): Part of Christmas wine dinner and cellar raid and didn't take detailed notes. Last of 3 that I had purchased. This wasn't quite dead, but it wasn't that great. Clearly on the steep decline and although interesting not something that I would buy at this stage. (3933 views) | | | Tasted by ParisWino on 7/11/2017: (cellar inventory maintenance -- opened July 2017) Alas, my bottle was close to DOA, with advanced oxidative and volatile notes and not much fruit to speak of. No doubt this was a storage/provenance issue -- my bottle, with only mid-shoulder fill, was sourced cheaply from a Berkley wine store/criminal enterprise about a decade ago, but I have no idea how it spent the first 35+ years of its life before I obtained it. Oh well. (3965 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| Château Gruaud Larose Producer website
Read more about Château Gruaud Larose -https://www.thewinecellarinsider.com/bordeaux-wine-producer-profiles/bordeaux/st-julien/gruaud-larose/
A visit to Château Gruaud Larose Beychelle-St-Julien estate, winery and vineyards -https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2019/08/a-visit-to-chateau-gruaud-larose.html Red Bordeaux BlendRed Bordeaux is generally made from a blend of grapes. Permitted grapes are Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec and rarely Carménère.Today Carménère is rarely used, with Château Clerc Milon, a fifth growth Bordeaux, being one of the few to still retain Carménère vines. As of July 2019, Bordeaux wineries authorized the use of four new red grapes to combat temperature increases in Bordeaux. These newly approved grapes are Marselan, Touriga Nacional, Castets, and Arinarnoa.
Wineries all over the world aspire to making wines in a Bordeaux style. In 1988, a group of American vintners formed The Meritage Association to identify wines made in this way. Although most Meritage wines come from California, there are members of the Meritage Association in 18 states and five other countries, including Argentina, Australia, Canada, Israel, and Mexico.France Vins de France (Office National Interprofessionnel des Vins ) | Pages Vins, Directory of French Winegrowers | French Wine (Wikipedia)
Wine Scholar Guild vintage ratings
2018 vintage: "marked by a wet spring, a superb summer and a good harvest"
2019 vintage reports
2021: "From a general standpoint, whether for white, rosé or red wines, 2021 is a year marked by quality in the Rhône Valley Vineyards. Structured, elegant, fresh and fruity will be the main keywords for this new vintage."
2022 harvest: idealwine.info | wine-searcher.comBordeaux Bordeaux Wine Guide
Vins Bordeaux (Conseil Interprofessionnel du Vin de Bordeaux)
History of Bordeaux
History of 1855 Bordeaux Classification
"2009 is all about ripeness, with wines impressively packed with ripe fruit and high alcohol levels. They are showy, in-your-face, and full of pleasure. The 2010s have the fruit and alcohol levels of the 2009s, but with a compelling freshness on the finish that balances the fruit and provides a perfect sense of structure." - Ben Nelson
"2016 is a landmark vintage in certain spots of Bordeaux and it should be remembered as one of the most inspired campaigns of the last 40-50+ years." -Jon Rimmerman
"The quality of red Bordeaux in 2016 was universally lauded – although the response to the en primeur campaign was muted. Quantity was high too, with the equivalent of 770 million bottles of wine produced. An exceptionally dry summer with cool nights eventually, thanks to mid September rain, resulted in small, thick-skinned, ripe grapes, and the wines are marked by high tannin and acidity, with superb aromatic fragrance." - Jancis Robinson
"2017 was complicated, but there are some excellent wines. Expect plenty of freshness and drinkability from wines that will offer excellent value, and others that will rival 2016 in terms of ripeness and ageability. But they are likely to be the exception not the rule, making careful selection key." - Jane Anson
"In the past, a vintage such as 2022 may have been overripe, raisined and low in acidity but 2022 had a sneaky little reservoir in its back pocket - a near perfect marriage of cool/cold/rain the previous winter and the previous vintage that literally soaked the soils (a key to why 2022 is not 2003...or 1893)." - Jon RimmermanMédoc Vins du Médoc (Conseil des Vins du Médoc) - Read More about the Medoc
VdB
The eight precisely defined appellations of the whole of the Médoc (from Blanquefort Brook to the north of the Bordeaux built-up area, almost to the Pointe de Grave) may claim the Médoc appellation. But there is also a specific territory in the north of the peninsula which produces exclusively wines with this appellation. In the great majority, the Médocs come from the north of the peninsula. The great individuality of this region is that the number of vines has increased more recently here than elsewhere, apart from a few isolated spots where vines have grown for many years. Today, the size of the small estate has brought about the development of a powerful co-operative movement. Four co-operatives out of five belong to the group called Unimédoc which ensures aging, bottling and marketing a large proportion of their wines.St. Julien VdB
Read more detailed information on St. Julien and its wines The seventeenth century pioneers Traces are to be found of a Saint-Julien de Rintrac, perhaps Saint-Julien's earliest name, as from the thirteenth century. But we have to wait until the seventeenth century pioneers, urban and rural aristocrats, discover the exceptional merits of these terroirs.
Traces of this system still exist today in the structure of estates within the appellation: by the side of the two villages of Beychevelle and Saint-Julien, the large estates are heavily preponderant, representing more than four fifths of the total surface of vineyards.
The terrain is practically identical over all the commune. Only the proximity of the estuary, sometimes close, sometimes further away, can cause slight variations in climate. In fact, Saint-Julien-Beychevelle's layer of gravel takes the form of a huge rectangle over 3 miles long and 2 miles wide. And the alluvial deposits are particularly well fragmented into ridges of Garonne gravel of the early Quaternary. Accordingly, the vines are safeguarded from stagnant water.
The wines from the Saint-Julien appellation may be recognized by their unparalleled bouquet, particularly harmonious and mild. They have a fine deep colour and combine the finesse of their aromas and a solid constitution. They have body, are very rich in flavour and have a delicious and delicate bouquet.
Production conditions (Decree dated November 14, 1936)
In order to have the right to the Saint-Julien appellation of controlled origin, red wines must:
- come from the commune of Saint-Julien and from precisely defined parcels in the communes of Cussac, and Saint-Laurent, "excluding the parcels situated on recent alluvium and sand on impermeable subsoils",
- satisfy precise production conditions: grape-varieties (Cabernet-Sauvignon, Cabernet-Franc, Carmenère, Merlot Noir, Petit Verdot, Cot or Malbec), minimum of sugar (178 grammes - 6.27 oz. - per litre of must) degree (an acquired 10°5) base yield (45 hectolitres per hectare). |
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