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2018 Chateau Gruaud Larose Saint-Julien Grand Cru Classe
Product price
$109.99
Description
Winemaker's Notes
The winter was very rainy, with temperatures in February and March below the last thirty year averages. The spring was also rainy, but was still in average temperatures. This wet weather continued until the end of June, causing heavy attacks of downy mildew on the vineyard. Fortunately, hot dry weather arrived in July and continued until the harvests which took place in optimal conditions. The abundant aquifers have favored the development of the vine allowing to have perfect conditions throughout the phenological stages. This explains the great wealth of the vintage and its opulence! A great vintage.
Product Details
| Category | Wine |
| Color | Red |
| Country | France |
| Region | Bordeaux |
| Subregion | Saint-Julien |
| Varietal | Cabernet FrancCabernet SauvignonMerlot |
| Producer | Chateau Gruaud Larose |
| Vintage | 2018 |
| Size | 750 ML |
| Container | Bottle - Glass |
| Other | Fine & Rare |
Expert Reviews
The 2018 Gruaud Larose is blended of 67 Cabernet Sauvignon, 24 Merlot and 9 Cabernet Franc, with a pH of 3.88 and 14.2 alcohol. Deep garnet-purple in color, it leaps from the glass with bold black cherries, mulberries, plum preserves and blackcurrant cordial scents with hints of menthol, lilacs, licorice and cloves plus wafts of fallen leaves and tilled soil. Medium to full-bodied with a taut core of ripe, densely packed, muscular fruit, it has a firm line of ripe, grainy tannins and just enough freshness, finishing long and spicy. Very exotic Gruaud!
This is really generous and rolls off the tongue with ripe and velvety tannins and a fresh undertone. Full-bodied, firm and silky. Extremely long and flavorful. Very complex already.
This is good quality, not exactly generous but clearly carefully extracted - they kept the simultaneous alcoholic and malolactic fermentations to between 24°C and 26°C. It's packed full of flavour, with real precision to the fruit. Bramble and hedgerow scents suggest a firm acidity and a structure that's built to last, while still being appetising and full of pleasure. As it opens in the glass, liquorice and dark chocolate come to the fore. A wine that will age well without question. 85 new oak. Drinking Window 2027 - 2040. Barrel Sample: 94
From one of the more inland of the Saint-Julien estates, away from the Gironde estuary, this wine is generous in fruit, with soft tannins and lively acidity. It is finely structured and will age well over the medium-term.
The 2018 Gruaud Larose was picked from 20 September with the Merlot, finishing on 10 October with the Cabernet Sauvignon, with pumping over every two days and aged for 18 to 24 months in 80% new oak. It has a deep garnet colour. The nose is tightly wound, more so than expected, with blackberry, raspberry, briary and cedar aromas, a crisper Gruaud than I have seen aromatically compared to recent vintages. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins: blackcurrant, mulberry, cedar, hints of clove developing with time. I appreciate how well the wood has integrated in the last few months. It does not possess the persistence of the 2016 Gruaud Larose, but it is very harmonious and less feral than some vintages have been. Great potential.