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Chateau Gruaud Larose 2015

Blend
7% Cabernet Franc
61% Cabernet Sauvignon
29% Merlot
3% Petite Verdot
Country
France
Region
Bordeaux
Appellation
Saint-Julien
UPC
0 15643 50653 6
New
Red Wine
1691-15
Product Ratings
James Suckling 95pt

Concentrated and elegant with a great harmony of dry tannins and ripeness (but no hint of overripeness), this has a long finish with a lot of drive and enormous freshness. You could drink this now with red meat, but it’s got decades ahead of it.

by James Suckling, 2018
Wine Advocate 93+pt

Medium garnet-purple colored, the 2015 Gruaud Larose simply sparkles with bright, vibrant red cherries, ripe raspberries and fresh black currants notes with underlying suggestions of cinnamon stick, rose petals, fallen leaves and dried Provence herbs. Medium to full-bodied and possessing tightly wound red and black fruits layers intermingled with spicy accents, it has a firm, grainy frame and great vivacity, finishing long and perfumed. I'm probably being too conservative with my score here and expect this could blossom in 4-6 years into an even more impressive beauty!

by Wine Advocate, 2018
Wine Enthusiast 95pt

The ripe fruit that is a hallmark of this vintage at this estate has been maintained along with solid tannins and richness. This has both tannins and concentration although the fruit is the thing, making a wine that will develop relatively quickly.

by Wine Enthusiast, 2018
Wine Spectator 92pt

This has a serious graphite spine, along with beautiful beams of black currant, bitter plum and blackberry paste flavors. Dried anise, black tea and licorice snap notes lurk in the background. The finish is long and gilded with a violet accent.

by Wine Spectator, 2018

Soil

Garonne gravel from the first quaternary, settled more than 600 000 years ago

Weather

The end of the winter 2015 is rather dry but with fairly low temperatures. April is average when it comes to rainfall and temperatures. The beginning of May is marked by heavy precipitation that, fortunately, stops around the second decade. Then, temperatures are pleasant and typical for the season. Flowering unfolds in the most perfect matter! July is hot and dry with heat peaks accelerating the phenology. August is rather cool with rainy episodes. Early September, the weather is beautiful, but heavy rainfall around the 10th; then mild temperatures with intermittent rainfall. The sanitary status is perfect right until the end enabling a perfectly ripe harvest.

Vineyard

Integrated Pest Control (mechanical work, organic fertilisation), Weather Station (phytosanitary protection), Prophylaxis (thinning out the leaves, removal of excess buds and shoots, green harvest). Heightening of the trellis. Manual harvesting, selection on a belt in the vineyard and double sorting at the harvest reception.

Tasting notes

Ruby red, brilliant and clear. The nose is complex with hints of spices, red and black berries. Franc attack. The tannins are powerful and fleshy. Spicy finish with notes of cocoa.