Château Gruaud Larose, 2ème Cru Classé, St Julien, 2018
Gruaud Larose has not exactly been setting the world alight recently. This Second Growth really should be doing better. The 2018 is hardly likely to set hearts a flutter. It's solid rather than spectacular. Slightly murky fruit, raspberry and blackcurrant leaf. There's some good underlying fruit but not much complexity. Solid grippy tannins hold this together - it should come good, but there are more noble St Juliens available. 67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot and 9% Cabernet Franc.
critic reviews
The 2018 Gruaud Larose has a burly and powerful nose with blackberry and juniper, perhaps without the same precision as the previous vintage, the summer stamping its authority over the aromatics. The palate is medium-bodied with a slightly lactic entry, though less than before, with dark chocolate infusing the black fruit with a dab of black pepper and spice box on the finish. It finishes with style, though I prefer the 2019 by comparison. Tasted at the Gruaud Larose vertical at the château in February 2023.
Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2018 Gruaud Larose needs a little coaxing before it bursts onto the scene with notes of stewed black plums, boysenberry preserves, and blackcurrant pastilles plus suggestions of underbrush, wild roses, and cumin seed with a waft of espresso. The medium to full-bodied palate is jam packed with spicy black fruits framed by velvety tannins and just enough freshness, finishing long and opulent.