Ripe raspberries and blueberries with hints of fresh flowers. Deep nose of dark fruits. Full body, with silky tannins and a beautifully integrated tannin structure. It's long and very refined. Better than 2009. Try in 2018.
-www.jamessuckling.com, 'Tasting Report: 2010 Bordeaux "More Great Vintage"', 3 Feb 2012

(93-94 pts)
It like the finish on this wine with a blueberry, currant and citrus fruit character on the nose and palate. Full and chewy with ultra-fine tannins and a bright acidity.

Tasted at the Union de Grand Cru in London. I like this Gruaud, as banal as that sounds. It is just a Saint Julien that goes out to give pleasure. The Merlot component really comes through on the expressive bouquet with red cherries, wild strawberry, tobacco and bay leaf. The palate is well balanced with quite a sinewy entry. There are layers of ripe black fruit laced with white pepper and mineral, whilst the finish is focused and long. Could this become a modern day 1982? I hope so, as there could be no higher complement. Tasted November 2012.

(92-94+ pts)
A blend of 66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot and 6% Petit Verdot, delivering 14 percent alcohol, the Gruaud ’10 has a very intense nose with blackberry, cassis and a touch of oyster shell. The palate is medium-bodied with very svelte tannins on the entry, a sumptuous Gruaud Larose that belies that structured underneath seamless towards the finish. This is a Gruaud Larose that is full of character and should age beautifully over 20 years. This may merit a higher score after bottling, hence the plus sign. Tasted April 2011.

Offers a serious core of kirsch, blackberry and plum sauce notes, with lovely, velvety tannins taking over the pure, violet-tinged finish, which has length and grace. Shows more elegance than most of its peers in this vintage. —J.M.

Dark garnet/plum/purple, with loads of spice, earth, underbrush, red and black currants, licorice, and even a hint of Provencal garrigue, this full-bodied, tannic, masculine style of St.-Julien needs 5-6 years of cellaring, but is full, beefy, rich and impressively endowed. There are plenty of firm tannins in the background of this blockbuster wine, which has been built for the long haul. This is one 2010 where patience will be required. Anticipated maturity: 2020-2040.
-Robert Parker, Wine Advocate #205 Feb 2013

(92-94 pts)
This gets my nod as the finest Gruaud Larose since the 2000 and 1990. The opaque purple-colored 2010 exhibits copious notes of Asian plum sauce, spice box, creme de cassis, loamy soil and a beefy/meaty character. It is full-bodied, dense and powerful, with stunning purity and no evidence of brett (a characteristic of the great Gruaud Larose wines made in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s). Given the 2010's tannin profile, it will require 5-8 years of cellaring and should keep for three decades thereafter.

2nd Growth St Julien (40hl/ha, 13.5%, 50% New)[61CS/29M/5CF/5PV] Dense and refined to smell, ripe fruit, cedar, mineral, great finesse, should make a very fine bouquet; full bodied, firmly tannic wine with the typical vital 2010 acidity; sweetly ripe, with a refined core or fruit, long, subtly complex and with excellent fragrant length. Fairly powerful Gruaud, on the more muscular side of the year, with tannins currently quite chewy, definitely a long term prospect. It will be interesting to see just how this develops. 2023-40 [M.Schuster, Bordeaux Mar/Apr 2011]