Sarget de Gruaud Larose 2025

The finesse and expression of an exceptional second wine from Saint-Julien

The estate
Established in 1725 by Joseph Stanislas Gruaud, Château Gruaud Larose, located in Saint-Julien-Beychevelle in the Médoc, spreads its vineyard across 82 hectares. Now under the stewardship of Jean Merlaut, the estate owes its reputation to a remarkable terroir of Garonne gravel and a particularly favourable microclimate. Its motto "the king of wines, the wine of kings" reflects the estate's historic prestige, elevated to the rank of Second Growth in the 1855 classification of Bordeaux wines. The vineyard combines ancestral expertise with contemporary techniques, with rigorous winemaking and a blend centred on cabernet sauvignon and merlot. Bordeaux forms the cornerstone of its identity.

The vineyard
The 82-hectare vineyard forms a single contiguous plot within the Saint-Julien appellation. The vines, with an average age of 49 years, take root in a terroir of Garonne gravel of Quaternary origin. This emblematic soil of the appellation gives the wine its structure and elegance.

The wine
Sarget de Gruaud Larose is the château's second wine. The 2025 vintage celebrates the estate's 300th anniversary.

The vintage
The 2025 growing season stood out for its remarkable early ripening, delivering one of the earliest harvests observed since 1989, kicking off in early September. The vegetative cycle was particularly marked by a heatwave in mid-August, causing hydric stress for the vines. These weather conditions naturally limited yields, which came in below 30 hectolitres per hectare. Despite this modest quantity, the vintage promises exceptional quality, worthy of the region's greatest years. Alcohol content: 13.51% vol.

Vinification and ageing
Recognised as the earliest of the century, these manually picked grapes are followed by rigorous sorting. Vinification, carried out plot by plot, takes place in concrete vats. Fermentation progressed between 24°C and 28°C using carefully selected yeasts to optimise the extraction of polyphenols. The press wine was transferred to barrels via three vertical presses. Ageing lasts 12 months in French oak barrels.

Blend
This Sarget de Gruaud Larose 2025 results from a blend of 58% merlot, 36% cabernet sauvignon, 4% petit verdot and 2% cabernet franc.