Both vintages of Gruaud-Larose absolutely stand out in this lineup, and I recommend them both for thoroughly enjoyable drinking today. This was pretty monolithic when young and evolved very slowly. It's still showing tons of black fruits with tobacco, coffee and truffle. Chewy tannins are still evident, with everything clearly signposting a great vintage from legendary winemaker Georges Pauli. 3% Petit Verdot completes the blend. Drinking Window: 2019 - 2035
Tasted by: Jane Anson (at 1986 & 1988 St-Julien comparison tasting, 67 Pall Mall, London, 02 May 2019)
Part of Bordeaux 1980s: Vintage guides plus the wines to seek out

Still remarkably youthful, my most recent bottle of the 1986 Gruaud Larose exhibited an impressively opaque hue, followed by aromas of blackcurrants, cigar ash, loamy soil, pencil shavings and subtle hints of smoked meats. Full-bodied, deep and concentrated, it's a rich but tightly wound wine, with a deep core of fruit, lively acids and an abundance of powdery structuring tannin. Incredible as it may seem, it's comparatively advanced bottles of this 1986 that are drinking best today, as pristinely stored examples with perfect corks are still almost painfully youthful. WK Aug 2022 95 points
Still tasting as though it were only 7-8 years of age, the dense, garnet/purple coloured 1986 Gruaud Larose is evolving at a glacial pace. The wine still has mammoth structure, tremendous reserves of fruit and concentration, and a finish that lasts close to a minute. The wine is massive, very impressively constituted, with still some mouth-searing tannin to shed. Decanted of one or two hours in advance seems to soften it a bit, but this is a wine that seems to be almost immortal in terms of its longevity. It is a great Medoc classic and certainly one of the most magnificent Gruaud Larose ever made. Anticipated maturity: 2006-2035. Jan 2003 RP 96 points

Brawny, beefy, masculine, yet, regal with its layers of tobacco-drenched red fruits, leafy garden herbs, forest floor, and greenery. Full-bodied, chewy, and deep, this is one of the best examples from this challenging vintage. Popped and poured, this is simply fabulous and character-filled. Drink from 2023-2045. Tasted Sept 2023

Very youthful deep ruby-red color. Brooding nose offers perfumed blackcurrant, mineral, violet and quinine aromas. Big, dense and rich, conveying an impression of strong extract to the powerful, well-delineated blackberry and herb flavors. The long, tactile finish features chewy but polished tannins and a lingering floral note. Though ready to drink now, this wine will continue to age gracefully. One of the best Gruaud-Larose wines of the past 40 years. IDA April 2013

Tasted at The Ledbury Gruaud Larose lunch, a consistent note compared to the one encountered last year, perhaps one of the finest wines of the decade after the 1982. It has a typically backward, distant nose that does not really want to play ball, but reluctantly offers black fruits, tobacco, cedar and retains that Graves-like personality. The palate is masculine, bolstered by rigid tannins, quite tarry in the mouth with hints of mocha towards its stern, finish. Gentleman’s claret! Superb. Tasted June 2011.