Château Gruaud Larose 2023

Still waters run deep, a wine that radiates calm, incense, tobacco; dark fruit; on the palate, power and finesse meet, concentrated, powerful, with tension and drive, extremely crisp, a mineral-driven finish. An impressive Gruaud of classic build.

A complete knockout of a wine in 2023. Deep, vibrant purple in colour. Lots of milk chocolate, some exotic spices and black fruit touches on the nose, along with floral scents of roses and violets – it smells gorgeous. Supple and filling, with immediate weight and texture on the palate, thick silk and ripe fruit, massy but then almost straight away quite clean and crisp. Forward and focused, RE tannins are supportive but so well integrated into the wine – an almost seamless expression – with plenty of underlying power. It’s delicious. Very drinkable, finessed and restrained, nothing overdone, no harshness. Everything feels in its place. Juicy, succulent cherry, blackcurrant and blueberry with high, mouthwatering acidity. A great wine; I love it because it’s layered and lifted; you can feel the sculpting with muscles on show and it feels very “put together.” There’s lots of strict Cabernet, but this has a touch of plushness you can’t help but smile at. A top buy in 2023. 40% grand production, taken from 60% of the estate. 15% press wine.

The 2023 Gruaud Larose is silky, deep and exquisite. It's a wine of superb balance and class. Plush contours and wonderfully vibrant fruit are the signatures. Crème de cassis, chocolate, new leather and lavender kiss of French oak play off a core of dark-fleshed fruit. Gruaud Larose is one of the most expressive wines in Saint-Julien.

Deep dark ruby, opaque core, purple reflections, delicate edge brightening. Cassis, ripe plum and heart cherry, some nougat, delicate herbal savouriness, with candied orange zest in the background. Juicy, elegant, fine fruit sweetness, delicate acidity, already harmonious and accessible, heart cherry on the finish, a charming food companion with development and certain ageing potential.

This is great quality and will age brilliantly, unrolls slowly and steadily. Coherent, serious, savory, totally delicious. A single point upscore. The Cabernet levels are above 80% as has been true for the last few years, a result of the vines coming in to the right age after extensive replanting. One to look out for.

Tobacco leaf, cedar, red currants, black currants, wet earth, smoke, and blackberries crowd the nose. On the palate, the wine is bright, fresh, juicy, classic, firm, crisp, and chewy, with layers of spicy black and red berries that linger. There is lift and precision in this modern take on a classic Bordeaux. Give it some time in bottle to fill out, and it’s going to be even better! 2023 is the second fully organic vintage for the vineyard. The wine is a blend of 83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14.5% Merlot, and 2.5% Cabernet Franc. 12.62% ABV, 3.4 pH. Picking took place September 11–25. Drink from 2029–2060. 93–95 pts.

Cassis, graphite, sappy tobacco, damp earth, and violets all emerge from the 2023 Château Gruaud Larose, a classic, quintessential Saint-Julien that ranks with the crème de la crème of the vintage. Based on 83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14.5% Merlot, and 2.5% Cabernet Franc and aged 18 months in 95% new French oak, it's medium-bodied and nicely concentrated on the palate, with integrated tannins and acidity, solid mid-palate depth, and a great finish. This rock-solid effort will hit maturity around age 10 and have 30 years of overall prime drinking. Drink 2033-2066.

Deep, intense, beautiful dark red colour. Very aromatic nose with ripe, fresh fruit. Hints of black fruit when the glass is swirled. Delicate on entry, very aromatic through the mid-palate, with a silky, generous texture and a refined presence, the wine stands out from the mid-palate through to the finish, where it melts away—sapid, long, without a trace of tannic grip. It’s very good. I’ll add that it’s rare to have such presence on the palate with an alcohol level this low (12.6%).

The 2023 Gruaud Larose has turned out beautifully, unwinding in the glass with complex aromas of cassis, dark berries, burning embers, petroleum jelly and violets. Medium- to full-bodied, it's suave and polished, with sweet tannins, ripe acids and a seamless, charming profile. Checking in at a modest 12.6% alcohol, this blend of 83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14.5% Merlot and 3.5% Cabernet Franc is the result of an extended block-by-block harvest that began on September 11 and only concluded on October 3.