A gorgeous dark purple colour in the glass with a bright pink rim. It is a little reticent on the nose, just giving a hint of fragranced fruit with dark chocolate, caramel and sweet coffee touches - so inviting. Ultra sleek and suave on the palate but at the same time racy and vibrant. A combination of rich black fruits and quite savoury aspects on the palate, tar, tobacco and wood smoke with black currants and cherries but here the emphasis really is on those herbal, medicinal aspects that give this such a serious tone but also such interest and intrigue. Lifted and bright on the palate but soft tannins letting the aromatics do all the talking. Seductive. Will be incredibly moreish in a few years. Drinking Window: 2027 - 2045
Tasted by: Georgina Hindle (at Bordeaux, 05 Jan 2022)

The 2019 Gruaud Larose is performing extremely well in bottle, wafting from the glass with aromas of wild berries and plums mingled with notions of licorice, potpourri, pencil shavings and subtle soil tones. Medium to full-bodied, elegant and seamless, with powdery tannins and succulent acids, it's remarkably suave and refined for a wine of obvious breadth, concentration and power.

Attractive aromas of ripe dark and blue fruit, vanilla, dark chocolate, hazelnuts and wet soil. Dense and compact with layers of polished tannins that hold long and even on the palate. Firm finish with notes of chocolate and crushed stones. Pretty finish. Try after 2026.

The 2019 Gruaud Larose is a deep, imposing wine endowed with a huge center of fruit and plenty of tannic clout to back it all up. Red fruit, cedar, leather, tobacco, smoke and dried herbs reveal themselves with some coaxing. Imposing tannins and some slightly rough contours suggest cellaring is a must. There's good potential here.

I wasn't able to taste the 2019 Château Gruaud Larose from barrel, but it's certainly an impressive Saint-Julien in bottle. Deep purple, with beautiful cassis and darker raspberry fruits as well as spice, dried flowers, and cedary incense notes, it hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness carrying plenty of sweet tannins, a deep, concentrated mid-palate, and beautiful length. It's not the dense blockbuster style of the 2018 and is much more elegant and pretty, with plenty of up-front charm. It's beautifully done. It's going to benefit from just short-term bottle age and have 25+ years of prime drinking.

Earthy, smoky, fresh, and minty with notes of tobacco leaf, cedar, and currants with blackberries on the nose. The wine is fresh, bright and crunchy with a nice bite of cassis and cranberry in the dusty finish. Drink from 2026-2047. Tasted March 2022

The 2019 Gruaud-Larose is a step up from the previous vintage with ebullient red berry fruit mixed with cedar and sous-bois. It's less pastille-like than a few months ago and is more serious and saline. The palate is medium-bodied with pliant tannins, better acidity and more nervosité than the 2019, with a vivid, harmonious and smooth espresso and seaweed-tinged finish. Just a lovely Gruaud-Larose.