Château Gruaud-Larose

Château Gruaud Larose is a 2ème cru classé property that produces one of St Julien's most full-bodied and long-lived wines. It owns 84 hectares of vineyards located on a gravel-rich plateau, just west of Château Beycheville.

This is an outstanding claret, one of the star performers, not only from St Julien but also the whole weeks tasting at the UGC. A superb, rich and forward nose, seemingly powerful, but at the same time not over-blown. In the mouth the wine rolls and reveals itself gradually, rich sweet dark berry fruit streaked through with acidity and savory graphite, cedar and minerality. There is a sense of real power here, almost brooding and magnificent, yet the thrill of the acidity gives this wine energy and focus – very finely tuned and muscular tannins encase the sweet core, the oak is deft and not overly dominant.

Pair with classic meat dishes, veal, pork, beef, lamb, duck, game, roast chicken, roasted, braised and grilled dishes.

The wine is vinified in a combination of cement tanks and wood vats. A portion of the malolactic fermentation takes in place in French, oak barrels (about 35%). The remainder of the malolactic fermentation takes place in a combination of cement vats and oak tanks. The wine of Chateau Gruaud Larose is then aged in 95% new, French oak barrels for about 18 months.