Château Gruaud Larose, 2ème Cru Classé, St Julien,

There is purity and power here, everything elegant and stripped back, but with a creaminess to the fruits in the mid palate, and a sense of flexibility in the tannins. Extremely young and crouched, still ageing at the estate for another few months, but already showing serious promise, with spiced blueberry and blackcurrant puree shot through with fennel and liquroice. A yield of 32hl/ha, harvest September 14 to 29. . 95% new oak. In certified organic conversion.

The 2020 Gruaud Larose is made from 79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot, and 4% Cabernet Franc. Deep purple-black colored, it features seductive scents of red currant jelly, plum preserves, and wild blueberries with hints of violets, dark chocolate and licorice. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is impactfully rich yet possesses a lot of subtlety, featuring ripe, grainy tannins and seamless freshness, finishing long and minerally. Lovely!

The 2020 Gruaud Larose is emblematic of a cleaner, more precise winemaking compared to a decade ago. The bouquet is quite perfumed and beautifully delineated, maybe not the most complex within the appellation, yet very nicely focused. The palate is precise and minerally on the entry, with more tension than the 2019 perhaps, a little more salinity. A combination of Japanese nori and black pepper enlivens the finish. This may well warrant a higher score in the future. There's still a little way to go before this estate reaches the heights of the 1982 for example, but it's definitely on track.