Chateau Gruaud Larose: from trench warfare to global warming
April 17, 2010
With a double magnum of 1962
Souvenir bottle: signed 1918 magnum
1986, 1983 and 1975 in Hamburg at Le Haerlin Restaurant
Gruaud Larose, the wine of kings and the king of wines! In the cru classé concentrated appellation of St. Julien, the Medoc’s smallest, Gruaud Larose makes up almost 10 percent of all the vineyards. General manager David Launay jokes ‘we are the Pomerol of the left bank.’ Perhaps not. But the appellation does feature some of the greatest names of Bordeaux, with a slew of super seconds including the Leovilles (Barton, Las Cases and Poyferre) and Ducru Beaucaillou as well as Gruaud
Larose. Its deep gravel soil is excellent for Cabernet Sauvignon, so we have here a classic Left Bank wine dominated by Cabernet, but it also has significant amounts of Petit Verdot, sometimes lending the wine a certain exoticism. The style over many years has been slightly “meaty”. This is not a wine that boasts the delicacy of a Ducru Beaucaillou or the Pauillac-life power of Leoville Las Cases. It is a unique St. Julien that since 2007 is starting to gain in elegance with the arrival of Eric Boissenot, the son of the famous Bordeaux enologist and consultant Jacques Boissenot. Since 2007, Eric has officially replaced Georges Pauli as winemaking director and changes include the use of a vertical press as well as greater selection of vats before blending to favor finesse. Below, a video of the tastings held in various German cities and back at the chateau where we enjoyed a 1962 and a 1918!
More bottles from Gruaud Larose before the dinner in Hamburg
Full tasting notes HERE