Spicy and earthy, with lots of ripe fruit. Full bodied, with soft round tannins and a juicy finish. Yummy and decadent. No need to wait, but it will be much better if you pull the cork after 2014.

Good ruby-red. Full-blown aromas of black fruits, coffee liqueur, mint and roasted meat. Quite powerful in the mouth without coming across as sweet; shows distinctly southern notes of garrigue and scorched earth. Less silky than I expected; in fact, this seems to be closing down today. Substantial, slightly disjointed tannins hit the palate late and build. I wouldn't even think about pulling a cork for at least four or five years. Not a particularly impressive vintage for this wine, yet there's a bit more here than I originally thought.

(66% cabernet sauvignon, 22% merlot, 6% cabernet franc, 5% petit verdot and 1% malbec): Dark red. Spicy red plum and blackcurrant aromas on the enticing nose; this doesn't smell at all overripe or cooked, as so many other overrated 2003 Bordeaux reds do. Bright and suave on the palate, with fresh flavors of red and darker berries complicated by flint, cedar and smoke. Finishes long and surprisingly lively for such a hot vintage.

The 2003 Gruaud Larose’s dark plum/garnet color is followed by sweet aromas of damp earth, forest floor, herbs, espresso roast, cassis, licorice, and plums. Medium-bodied as well as surprisingly up-front and precocious, it possesses sweet tannin, very nice concentration, and loads of earthy/herbal characteristics intermixed with black fruits, and an attractive, but supple, evolved finish. Drink it over the next 12-15 years. It does not rank alongside the top St.-Juliens.

Wine Advocate April, 2006

The 2003 Gruaud Larose’s dark plum/garnet color is followed by sweet aromas of damp earth, forest floor, herbs, espresso roast, cassis, licorice, and plums. Medium-bodied as well as surprisingly up-front and precocious, it possesses sweet tannin, very nice concentration, and loads of earthy/herbal characteristics intermixed with black fruits, and an attractive, but supple, evolved finish. Drink it over the next 12-15 years. It does not rank alongside the top St.-Juliens.

Drink 2008-2021
-Parker's Wine Buyer's Guide No 7

The 2003 Gruaud Larose's dark plum/garnet color is followed by sweet aromas of damp earth, forest floor, herbs, espresso roast, cassis, licorice, and plums. Medium-bodied as well as surprisingly up-front and precocious, it possesses sweet tannin, very nice concentration, and loads of earthy/herbal characteristics intermixed with black fruits, and an attractive, but supple, evolved finish. Drink it over the next 12-15 years. (88)

Tasted at the chateau at their --3-vertical. The 2003 is a blend of 66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc, 5% Petit Verdot and 1% Malbec that was cropped from 10th September. It was a small crop. It has a lifted, ripe, opulent bouquet that leans towards the New World in style. The palate has a sweet ripe, slightly savoury entry with low acidity and a slightly lactic, wine gum, chocolate tinged finish. It is not really my style of Gruaud Larose or for that matter, a style of Bordeaux that I appreciate. The team have surpassed this many times in this decade. Tasted April 2013. www.robertparker.com

66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc, 5% Petit Verdot, 1% Malbec. Brick colour. Light and leafy on the nose but no great complexity. Some substance and a little sweetness to the palate but the tannins remain hard and grainy in the background. Probably OK with food but not for keeping. (JL)