The 2004 Gruaud Larose is consistent with the bottle I drank at the château a few months earlier. It offers a relatively light bouquet with black fruit and a touch of melted tar. The palate is conservative in style, fleshier than I remember, and nicely balanced with a touch of truffle towards the soft landing on the finish. Fine.

Ruby-red. Expressive nose offers game, spice, tobacco, leather, underbrush, iron and exotic flowers. Supple and fine-grained, with currant and baked plum flavors complicated by chocolate and leather. A wine of moderate intensity and power for this property but rather suave. The cooler vintage character comes through on the finish, which features notes of raw currant and pepper and slightly dusty tannins.

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate 29/06/2007 This estate continues to under perform, particularly in view of what the previous owners accomplished. Nothing made today resembles the great vintages of the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, or even the top-flight 2000. Nearly every St.-Julien chateau is making better wine, and Gruaud Larose needs a wake-up call. A stricter selection might be a place to start. The dark ruby/garnet-colored 2004 reveals an herbal nose displaying hints of dirty saddle leather intermixed with roasted herbs, spice, black cherries, currants, and a green pepper-like character. It is a lightweight effort with medium body, superficial depth, crisp acidity, and sharp tannins in the finish. While it will keep for 10-15 years, and may become slightly more complex, it remains a major disappointment. ()

58% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc, 3% Petit Verdot, 1% Malbec. Brick hue. First bottle slightly corked. Second bottle brighter and more lifted on the nose. Adequate fruit on the palate but there is a note of green tannin and a rather abrasive, drying finish. Holding up but not for much longer. (JL)