Gruaud Larose stands as one of the oldest estates in the Saint Julien appellation of Bordeaux's Medoc region, having been established by a knight, whose name the chateau has carried for close to 300 years.

It All Started With A Knight Named Gruaud

The chateau's original owner was Joseph Stanislas Gruaud - which explains the "Gruaud" of its name, even though at the time it went by the name Fond-Bedeau. The estate would eventually be passed to two more Gruaud's, one a priest and the other a magistrate. It was ultimately the magistrate who would pass his part of the deed to a Joseph Sebastian de La Rose, which would cement the second half of the chateau's name. It was de La Rose who would rename the chateau Gruaud Larose.

The Larose Half Of It Was Living The High Life

Under the helm of de La Rose, the chateau would gain much popular with the in-crowd of the time - royalty and other folks of high society, which in turn inspired the motto "Le Roi des Vins, le Vin des Rois" (translated as "the King of Wines, the Wine of Kings") which you'll see on Gruaud Larose's label today in the ribbon encircling the crest (which includes two lions symbolising Eleanor of Aquitaine, a local historic figure, and King Henry II of England whom she was married to; a ship that is a tribute to a 16th century Governor of the region, as well as a grape bunch flanked by anchors to represent winemaking and the Gironde Estuary giving life to the area).

By 1855, with the great Bordeaux Classification at hand, the chateau that is sometimes marked for its inconsistency in quality (and every so often banging out a legendary vintage), would prevail and do well for itself - it was classified as one of only fourteen Second Growth's! 

A Rather Eccentric Estate To Say The Least

For better or for worse (in this case better), the very archaic 1855 Bordeaux Classification which was used to rank some of the region's winemaking estates, given its ongoing perceived measure of quality even though so much has changed since 1855, has kept Gruaud Larose relevant and in the back of the wine community's minds even in the periods of its lack of quality - it's bought Gruaud Larose many, many chances to stage a comeback. And so when it had finally done so in the past decade plus with a big leap in quality, prices have thus far remained incredibly reasonable for whatever a Second Growth (even if the ranking dates back to 1855) goes for these days. And that's made it incredibly popular as a bit of an underrated gem.

But that's not even the extent of Gruaud Larose' eccentricities when it comes to staying relevant - the estate has on it a tower that overlooks the Beychevelle village and nearby vineyards, amongst whom are of incredibly high stature such as Chateau Margaux, Chateau Mouton Rothschild, Chateau Leoville Poyferre and Chateau Brainaire-Ducru. Upon that high tower, Gruaud Larose would hoist flags of the nationalities of its buyers as a way to tout its widespread popularity, which is rather amusing when you consider the vineyards it neighbours. At one point, the Chateau would attempt to sell their wine in Bordeaux to the highest bidders of an auction, and whenever the wine did not sell, the chateau would raise the price repeatedly until it sold. This attempt of instilling some sort of FOMO actually worked - the wine would actually bag a much higher price than before, which only goes to show that sometimes you've got to fake it till you make it.

Reunification And Gruaud In Modern Times

Beyond being one of the oldest, it is also one of the largest single block of vineyards in Bordeaux with 82 hectares of vineyards spread across 110 parcels, but that wasn't always the case. In the mid to late 1800's, the chateau was most notably split into two - Chateau Gruaud Larose Sarget and Chateau Gruaud Larose Faure. Baron Sarget would own one half, the Ch. Gruaud Larose Sarget piece, under whom a great reconstruction of the estate was accomplished - for that, he gets the honour today of having the chateau's second wine named after him, the Sarget de Gruaud Larose.

Eventually the two chateaux would be reunited once again under the Cordier family who first purchased the Sarget portion and then two decades later, the Faure portion. Since then the estate has changed hands numerous times, but what's really cool is that winemaking has occured continuously on the exact same plot for close to 300 years. Today the estate is owned by the Taillan Group that is also responsible for several other vineyards in France, and its quality has been on the rise since the early 2000's.

Into The Vineyard

The Chateau Gruaud Larose vineyards sit on the highest point of elevation on the Saint Julien plateau, with a terroir that is marked by being gravel rich, mixed alongside pebble, limestone, sand and clay. The estate has actually more clay than any other Saint Julien or Bordeaux vineyards, which itself gives rise to a unique flavour profile in its wines. The vineyards are planted with 61% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot, and has been gradually working towards 70% Cabernet Sauvignon. Its vines average 45 years old and up, and was early in its use of organic farming practices. Another unique bit about Gruaud Larose is that it's one of three estates in Bordeaux to have a hail reduction canon which monitors for possible hail and then sends out shockwaves to break it apart!

The chateau vinifies its wine in sizeable oak and concrete vats, and allows malolactic fermentation to take place in cement vats and oak tanks. The wine is aged in 85% new French oak barrels for about 18 months, and 

One final fun fact about the already very eccentric chateau is that in the late 1800's, a ship carrying 2,000 bottles of 1865 Gruaud Larose, had set off from Bordeaux for Saigon, and would sink in a storm along the Gaspar Strait in Indonesia. 120 years later, several of these bottles were recovered and actually tasted, which were said to be somewhat floral.

And so with all that said, today we're going to try 6 vintages of Gruaud Larose  1995, 1996, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2020.

1995 Chateau Gruaud Larose Saint-Julien - Review

The 1995 vintage is composed of 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot. Winemaker's notes mention a really dry start which was followed by cool and rainy weather. This was 100% cement vinified, 16-18 months in French oak barrels (30% new, medium toast).

Tasting Notes

Colour: Ruby

Aroma: Very aromatic with strong brett notes - soil, manure, horse fur - quite a bold and funky barnyard note that dominated the nose. It's accompanied by earthiness of clove and tobacco leaves, alittle smoky (probably the brett too), and with just a soft and light hit of crushed raspberry and dark cherry.

Taste: Medium-bodied here, raspberry jams and cordials, the brett notes persist with more of that soil and barnyard funk. There's also a light tartness of cherry and some light florals of rose petals.

Finish: More cloves and soil here, soft raspberry jam. Light dryness, soft tannins.

My Thoughts

The brett (or Brettanomyces, a yeast that tends to come up in red wines and gives a very distinctive funky barnyard flavour that is divisive - some like it, others don't; I certainly love it) notes here are really dominant especially on the nose. It leads with lots of that barnyard funkiness that always strikes me as being very raw and rustic, it showing so much power here too! It wasn't particularly overwhelming even if it was dominant on the nose - very lovely and aromatic, quite frankly.

The body tended towards being a little on the lighter side, but it did showcase a very nice earthiness and struck a splendid balance between sweetness and acidity. It's rather luminous, but I still thought it had a good structure, without any sense of it overflowing or getting all over. Very lovely, silky tannins that became more prominent towards the finish. 

This one's very brett forward with a lighter body that does strike a great balance between sweetness and acidity, really silky, very approachable on the palate. If you're into Pet Nat wines you'll definitely love this.

1996 Chateau Gruaud Larose Saint-Julien - Review

On to the 1996 vintage - 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot, as was with the 1995 vintage. Big swings in temperature through the year, generally cooler temperatures, great sunshine. This was vinified in 40% wood and 60% cement, aged for 16-18 months in French oak barrels (30% new, medium toast).

Tasting Notes

Colour: Ruby

Aroma: Darker here, more earthy for sure, although less of that brett quality. There's more soil, tobacco leaves, just a slight bit of barnyard. Altogether very aromatic and with quite the depth. Very light touches of raspberry here.

Taste: Very rich on the palate, the raspberries make a much bigger showing here, along with some dark cherries. There's a light tartness and acidity of the red fruit, that's grounded by some more earthiness of soil and tobacco leaves. Quite the flip from the nose here.

Finish: We're back to those darker notes - freshly tilled soil, but also more of that tartness and acidity, almost giving a sort of cherry fruit roll-up. It does get alittle bit lactic almost, along with some chalkiness and a more prominent mineral backbone. Finishes off lightly dry. 

My Thoughts

It's noticeably darker here, richer and more aromatic - it's rather bountiful and bold, with the body being that much fuller than the 1995. It's got more energy on the body as well, although we're not quite at the point of calling it intense. The finish takes a more sour turn with heaps more acidity. That said, I would've liked to see more structure here to keep up with that richer body. 

Whilst the 1996 is less distinctive than the 1995, which really turned on the barnyard notes, I would say it's probably going to be much more broadly likeable and accessible with less of that barnyard, and in its place more fruit and earthiness atop a richer and fuller body.

2004 Chateau Gruaud Larose Saint-Julien - Review

We move to the 2004 - the big change at the vineyards here is it having changed hands to its current set of owners, which brought with it quite a bit of positive changes. At the 2004 vintage, it would've been 7 years since these changes were implemented, so probably a good vintage to check in on how that's made the wine evolve.

The winemaker's notes tell us that it was a relatively hot harvest, with higher than average temperatures. The composition of the 2004 vintage is 58% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc, 3% Petit Verdot and 1% Malbec (now where did that come from! Malbec not being actively planted in Bordeaux) - more Merlot, less Cabernet Sauv here. This one's vinified and follows an ageing program similar to as before.

Tasting Notes

Colour: Dark Ruby

Aroma: Hitting it off with some soil, here there's more blackcurrant cordial, more rounded somewhat also more straightforward. Some light hay and barnyard here still. It feels more plush and juicy here for sure.

Taste: Richer, fuller, fresher and more juicy as the nose suggested. Turn on the blackcurrant and dark cherries, bringing with them some acidity and tartness.

Finish: Light tobacco leaves and clove, accompanied by raspberry jam and blackcurrants. It's a clean finish, with some light acidity, light tannins, alittle bit more dry.

My Thoughts

This is definitely more juicy, plusher and fresher. It's really approachable and an easy, tasty drink. I do think it might've sacrificed some complexity and detail for more vibrance, which is probably the result of using more Merlot. I do like how there's still a prominent earthiness that doesn't go away. I feel like this is a good drinking point and would appeal to most. This was my second pick of the lot today - it's fresh, juicy, really approachable, and still keeps that earthiness.

2005 Chateau Gruaud Larose Saint-Julien - Review

Pretty dry harvest for the 2005 vintage, winemaker's notes call it one of the easiest vintages in 30 years.

This one's composed of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, 3% Petit Verdot and 1% Malbec.

Tasting Notes

Colour: Ruby

Aroma: This leans darker, soil, alittle bit of smoke, reminiscent of smouldering soil. It's rather aromatic but here it's without the big plume of a bouquet, it's softer and lighter here, almost wispy. There's some blackberry fruit leather at the back, along with some black cherries. 

Taste: Richer and fuller here, the flavours are bolder and there's definitely more depth here. We're getting dark cherry, blackcurrant and blackberries - the fruits are darker and more jammy, with a side of gentle notes of soil. It's quite heavy on the fruit here.

Finish: Light acidity, soft tannins, it exudes more structure here, which gives a really nice tension to the dark cherry jam.

My Thoughts

Definitely a bigger fruit focus here - it's noticeably richer and fuller on the palate, and with that much more depth as well. Here it leans darker and alittle more towards raisin-ed fruits, and so it's not as fresh or juicy. In place of that is more body and density, with more velvety silkiness and a more muscular structure. There's also not much of the barnyard brett quality here as well. This was for me the top vintage of the pick today! Really lovely, elegant and beautiful fruit forward boldness here, and with a firm structure too giving it a really awesome tension.

2006 Chateau Gruaud Larose Saint-Julien - Review

Here's the 2006 - marked by big temperature swings, and then a last bit of good climate towards the end of the harvest. This one's 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot, 11% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot. Vinification and ageing followed the same program as before.

Tasting Notes

Colour: Garnet

Aroma: Ooh nice hit of chocolate here, followed by other darker notes of soil, raspberry fruit leather, light tobacco leaves. It's darker here, but also alittle more quiet and vague.

Taste: Richer, bolder fruit, it's more forward with more intensity. Big on raspberry jams, it's even alittle bit spicy, more muscular, some light acidity giving it more brightness and elegance. Fuller bodied here. 

Finish: Clean, light tartness of dark cherries. There's some light notes of soil, clove, manure - just a touch of that brett quality here.

My Thoughts

This was a tad bit muted on the nose, it wasn't giving the big plumes of dark fruit and earthiness we saw in past vintage. But thankfully it's more than made up for it on the palate which was vibrant and energetic, and at the same time had much richness and depth, certainly more muscular even if it does at times feel alittle bulky. Love that intensity with that hit of spice, but I do wish it opened up more on the nose and showed somemore structure and detail on the palate. 

2020 Chateau Gruaud Larose Saint-Julien - Review

We jump up to the 2020 vintage - very early to drink this but it'll be fun! Winemaker's notes tell us this was an incredibly rainy harvest (I think they even used the hail canon!), which was followed by some intense droughts later in the harvest - sounds like they really had their work cut out for them.

Here we have a whopping 79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot and 4% Cabernet Franc - what! This was 100% vinified in wood tanks, and then 18 months (the maximum) in French oak barrels (95% new, the rest 1-2 years old). Sounds like drastic measures were needed!

Tasting Notes

Colour: Ruby, Violet

Aroma: Big on the florals - lots of violets and roses. Lots of dehydrated red fruit - raspberry fruit leather. Just a touch of soil. 

Taste: Richer, with the florals making their way through to the palate. It's really fruit forward too. Lots of rose and raspberry jams, fuller bodied, with a slight spiciness of cloves, as well as some light acidity. 

Finish: Clean finish. Clove, light raspberry jam, leather, raspberry fruit leather. Alittle bit more dry.

My Thoughts

Fuller bodied here with intense floral and fruit notes - it's almost perfumery. Definitely none of that brett character, but in that sense it's also less complex (which is to be expected considering this is only aged for 3 years) and powerful. We definitely saw florals here that we weren't getting before, so that was a delightful surprise - super aromatic on the nose, as well as being all round juicy and plush. It'll be interesting to see how this develops - I actually think this is a pretty solid vintage at this point. It's approachable, great bouquet, and very romantic.

End Notes

Having tried the flight of 6 vintages of Chateau Gruaud Larose, we see that there's heavy brett influence towards the older vintages, which definitely gives it an added dimension of barnyard qualities that in my opinion lends alot of complexity and rustic power to the otherwise chateau signature of red fruits and earthiness - so if you're not into barnyard, funky, horse-y notes, it's best to have Gruaud Larose nowhere above 10 years old. On the flipside, if you're into natural wines or really rustic countryside cheeses, then head in that direction.

I do find that with age, the body does tend to thin alittle as well, but what's very outstanding is how it continues to maintain a great balance of sweetness and acidity, and the tannins remain soft and silky with age. When it's younger, Gruaud Larose's tend to be more juicy and vibrant, at the expense of detail and structure - as is the case for most red wines.

My favourite of the lot was actually a split between the 2004 and the 2005. I'm rather surprised at how different they are considering that they're just 1 year apart - the 2004 was much more juicy and fresh, whilst the 2005 was richer and had more structure. If I could only choose one, it'd be the 2005. Special mentions do go to the 1995 for being so distinctive and balancing that barnyard quality so well, and the 2020 for being really gorgeous with so much florals. The crowd favourite, worth noting, was nevertheless the 2006, which was said to strike a good balance of power, intensity and richness (I beg to differ).