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Manage Subscriptions2018 Château Gruaud Larose
Red Bordeaux Blend
- France
- Bordeaux
- Médoc
- St. Julien
Community Tasting Notes 12
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PSPatrick wrote: 91 points
February 18, 2024 - A blend of 67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot, and 9% Cabernet Franc. 14.2% ABV. Half-bottle. Decanted for four hours in a small decanter. Dark purple colour. Black currant, dark cherry, blueberry, blackberry, bitter chocolate, coffee, earth, spices, vanilla, lead pencil, and gravelly minerality, with good, medium-level acidity, ripe, round tannin, and great persistence. Ripe, and loosely structured, yet tight and too young to drink now. Consistent on day two. For mid-term drinking, maybe 2029 to 2042. 91(?)
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englishman's claret wrote: 91 points
July 4, 2023 - While you wouldn't mistake the 2018 Gruaud Larose for anything but a big, warm vintage, it also avoids the excesses common to a vintage with those climatic (and climactic) conditions. The aromatic profile here is a near-identical expression compared with a bottle tasted at the chateau in May 2023, with a big, ripe, slightly roasted nose of blackberry, plum, toast, bay leaf, and a little umami with black olive tapenade. The nose really bursts from the glass but there’s also an appealing, subtle potpourri note that's there if you look for it (happily, this grows more conspicuous with time). There's still some integrating oak imparting some coffee notes, but that's almost resolved. This is velvety, big, and enveloping in the mouth with just a hint of the 14.2% alcohol it actually possesses.
The heat of the vintage has imparted a jovial and broad-shouldered style at Gruaud Larose. It stays just on the right side of ripeness and the extraction has been quite gently handled, with tannins that are already velvety. This needs a little more time for the oak to integrate, but it's almost ready to drink. This shows well right out of the bottle, improves at hour 12, and flags by hour 24.
The assemblage here is 67% CS, 24% M, 9% CF, biodynamically farmed. Fermented (with co-inoculation) in 50% wood / 50% cement at 24-26 C. Elevage in 80% new oak.1 person found this helpful Comment -
Mafshar Likes this wine: 95 points
May 26, 2023 - Young with silky tannins, all fruit with black currant that has a long finish
1 person found this helpful Comment -
englishman's claret wrote:
May 9, 2023 - Tasting the 2018 Gruaud Larose, plum, grilled nuts, and potpourri fill the glass. The palate is plush and gourmand but it's no push-over, either. This is essentially ready to drink now, surprisingly, at age 5. It's interesting to see this without some of the problems of other 2018s. I'm told that harvest was done very early in the mornings, to bring grapes in with better acidity and cooler temperatures.
1 person found this helpful Comment -
Docemann5 Likes this wine: 92 points
November 26, 2022 - Dark purple. Strawberry / blueberry nose
Young wine, pop of cork very tight. Opened up in 10 min to drinkable. Decanted for an hour and did much better. Full mouth chocolate oak dark berry. High tight finish. Curious how it will be in 5 and 29 years.
Drank at a friends house and would invest in this winery and hold in my own cellar3 people found this helpful Comment
Pro Reviews 15
Add a Pro ReviewJancisRobinson.com
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By James Lawther MW
3/2/2023 (link)(Ch Gruaud Larose St-Julien Red) Subscribe to see review text.
Vinous
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By Neal Martin
Cleaning Out the Cupboard: Bordeaux 1943-2020 (Jan 2023), 1/1/2023 (link)(Gruaud-Larose Gruaud-Larose Red) Subscribe to see review text.
JancisRobinson.com
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By Jancis Robinson, MW
1/20/2022 (link)(Ch Gruaud Larose St-Julien Red) Subscribe to see review text.
Vinous
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By Neal Martin
The Future’s Definitely Not What It Was: Bordeaux 2018 (Mar 2021), 3/21/2021 (link)(Gruaud Larose Gruaud Larose Red) Subscribe to see review text.
JebDunnuck.com
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By Jeb Dunnuck
2018 Bordeaux From The Bottle, 3/11/2021 (link)(Chateau Gruaud Larose) Subscribe to see review text.
Vinous
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By Antonio Galloni
Bordeaux 2018: Not Back in Black (Mar 2021), 3/1/2021 (link)(Gruaud Larose Gruaud Larose Red) Subscribe to see review text.
Winedoctor
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By Chris Kissack
February 2021, 2/1/2021 (link)(Château Gruaud-Larose St Julien Red) Subscribe to see review text.
JamesSuckling.com
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By James Suckling
1/14/2021 (link)(Château Gruaud-Larose St.-Julien, Red, France) Subscribe to see review text.
Decanter
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By Jane Anson
Bordeaux 2018 in bottle, 11/10/2020 (link)(Château Gruaud-Larose, St-Julien, Bordeaux, France, Red) Subscribe to see review text.
Vinous
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By Neal Martin
The Future’s Not What It Was: Bordeaux 2018 (Nov 2019), 11/1/2019 (link)(Gruaud Larose Gruaud Larose Red) Subscribe to see review text.
JamesSuckling.com
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By James Suckling
4/3/2019 (link)(Château Gruaud-Larose St.-Julien, Red, France) Subscribe to see review text.
Decanter
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By Jane Anson
Bordeaux En Primeur 2018 St-Julien, 4/2/2019 (link)(Château Gruaud-Larose, St-Julien, Red) Subscribe to see review text.
Vinous
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By Antonio Galloni
Bordeaux 2018: Back in Black (Apr 2019), 4/1/2019 (link)(Gruaud-larose Gruaud Larose Red) Subscribe to see review text.
Winedoctor
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By Chris Kissack
April 2019, 4/1/2019 (link)(Château Gruaud-Larose St Julien Red) Subscribe to see review text.
JancisRobinson.com
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By Julia Harding, MW
3/29/2019 (link)(Ch Gruaud Larose St-Julien Red) Subscribe to see review text.
Wine Definition
- Vintage 2018
- Type Red
- Producer Château Gruaud Larose
- Varietal Red Bordeaux Blend
- Designation n/a
- Vineyard n/a
- Country France
- Region Bordeaux
- SubRegion Médoc
- Appellation St. Julien
- UPC Codes 3453521273090, 3468172351189, 3664208004573, 3760280781835, 3760280781842, 400005288517, 649185019843, 7070334603058, 766700721842, 766810781842, 840877201021
Community Holdings
- Pending Delivery 145 (7%)
- In Cellars 1,906 (89%)
- Consumed 80 (4%)
Food Pairing
Who Likes This Wine
More About This Wine
Articles
- ProducerChâteau Gruaud Larose
- VarietyRed Bordeaux Blend
- CountryFrance
- RegionBordeaux
- SubRegionMédoc
- AppellationSt. Julien
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- ProducerChâteau Gruaud Larose
- VarietalRed Bordeaux Blend
- CountryFrance
- RegionBordeaux
- SubRegionMédoc
- AppellationSt. Julien