Chateau Gruaud Larose 2006

The significant rainfall during late September clearly had a noticeable impact on this 2006, which perhaps lacks “selection,” as the French say. There is an element of dilution in this cuvée, and I would never recognize it as a Gruaud Larose except for the label. Dark ruby with a light pink rim, the wine is medium-bodied, soft, and round, revealing roasted herb, sweet cherry, and currant flavors. For its prestige and pedigree, it is one of the most disappointing St.-Juliens I tasted.

Shows plum and raspberry aromas, with hints of flowers. Full-bodied, with super well-integrated tannins and pretty fruit on the middle palate. All there in balance and finesse. Best after 2013. 20,000 cases made.

Initially dominated by tannins, this wine is now evolving to show a softer, easier side. With sweet fruit and a delicious, refreshing juicy black currant acidity, the tannins are now the base of an approachable wine, offering considerable pleasure.

Deep, intense brambly fruit unfurls gently over the palate. Not yet reached its tertiary stage but this knows where it is going, and doesn’t mind taking a pause before softly sliding towards autumnal flavours. Tannins have a little extra bite on the finish. A very classy, classic St-Julien.

Tasted blind. Mute nose. Angular with a bit of fruit to fill in the framework. Lots of stoniness on the finish. (JR)

Good deep red. Musky, gamey aromas of plum, dark chocolate, cocoa powder and roasted oak. Fat, plummy and lush, but with decent spine to give the wine shape. Sweet but not overly so, offering more breadth than depth. Finishes with dusty, horizontal tannins.

Firm, structured, medium bodied, tannic and traditional, with a focus on crisp, red berries, earth and tobacco, the wine needs time to soften and come together.

Dense, dark garnet with black highlights. Brilliant bouquet from the outset: candied sugar notes, Darjeeling tea, currants, Malaga raisins, black berries—noble and highly complex. Elegant entry on the palate, again showing plenty of black-berry character, liquorice, a long frame, finely wrapped tannins, with its reserves only revealing themselves on the finish. Core traits reminiscent of the truly great Gruaud vintages of 1945 and 1962. In 15 years, perhaps a 19-point wine.

Dense, dark garnet with black highlights. A brilliant bouquet right from the start: rock-candy notes, Darjeeling tea, currants, Malaga raisins, black berries—noble and highly multi-layered. Elegant entry on the palate, again lots of black-berry aromatics, liquorice and more black berries; the body is long, the tannins are nobly wrapped up, and only on the finish do the reserves for later come to light, giving the wine breed and a patient guarantee of ageing. Essentially, the core traits suggest a truly great Gruaud year like 1945 and 1962 (one of the best Médocs!). So after 15 years one can hope for a possible 19-point wine. P.S. The same wine could also be tasted from a decanter, decanted and aerated. Complete nonsense: the fascination of the first primary aromas was missing and the tannins showed themselves markedly drier and also harder. So if different descriptions and differentiated scores for this wine appear in the press, it’s likely because many journalists tasted the decanted barrel sample and only a few insisted on tasting it fresh from the bottle. 11: On the ship in Holland there were a few bottles. We had previously drunk the soft, juicy Clos Fourtet. Then it took quite a hearty meal to “rinse” the still-demanding tannins a bit. Waiting is the best option! (18/20). 18: The colour is almost black, mixed with further hints of violet and red. The nose is baroque and first goes deep before the aromas are released. It delivers truffle, tar, Bakelite, blueberries, cassis and black-currant notes. Certain aromatic cues recall a Napa Cabernet. Even after a quarter of an hour it is no more conversational than at the beginning. The class and immense potential only really show on the palate: fleshy, dense, demanding and concentrated. It requires a great deal of patience. At the moment its flow is still sandy and a little roughening. When it will reach true maturity is hard to define. But—the next 10 years will probably be nothing. It can still add a point if it keeps its promises for the future. Perhaps it will also stubbornly retain its initial hardness. (18/20).

Closed, dark, deep bouquet: blackcurrant, plums, tobacco, cedar. Dense, dark palate with good tannins, a muscular structure, good fruit presence, a powerful, sweet aromatic profile, and a long, full finish. 18/20 drink through 2040.

Deep garnet-brick in color, the 2006 Gruaud Larose is made from 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot, 11% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Petit Verdot. Evolved notes of prunes, baked blackcurrants, and dusty soil jump from the glass, followed by hints of iron ore, cigar box, and incense. The light to medium-bodied palate is chewy with herbal and mineral sparks intertwined with the dried berry flavors, finishing a little rustic.

A lovely style: a charming, supple, long and elegant wine—very much Saint-Julien—though the tannins are just a touch lacking in tension.

The 2006 bouquet is a thing of beauty and faithfully captures the Gruaud style, of course closely tied to its terroir. It reveals nuances of truffle, graphite, licorice and mint, followed by elegant fruity notes through aromas of blackcurrant and blueberry. On the palate, the wine shows a certain firmness while also conveying grandeur. Its tannins bring a sense of serenity and work in harmony with the acidity, which provides agility and, above all, freshness. A wine that manages to combine finesse and power—but then again, that is probably part of Gruaud’s DNA.

Logo on the cork: A in a circle (Amorim) Deep colour with black highlights. Slightly evolved. A lovely, refined, pure nose, with fruity and smoky notes. A nice entry on the palate. The wine builds through the mid-palate and starts to melt, very flavoursome and elegant. The finish is slightly firm, but savoury. A lovely surprise.