2001 CHÂTEAU GRUAUD LAROSE 2ème Cru Classé Saint Julien, Lea & Sandeman

CHÂTEAU GRUAUD LAROSE

2001 2ème Cru Classé Saint Julien

Grapes Cab Franc, Cab Sauv, Merlot
Colour Red
Origin France, Bordeaux
Sub-district Haut Médoc
Village Saint Julien
Classification 2ème Cru Classé
ABV 13%

Big and dark, Gruaud has less density of fine tannin than some of the 2001s, and more openness of flavour - very richly blackberryish, crème de mûre, and even a touch of cooked fruit and the usual Gruaud meatiness. Some mildly scratchy tannins on the finish. ‘There was more fat in 2000, which covered the tannins, but their is a savouriness which is interesting in the 2001’, says Philippe Carmagnac, the maître du chai, and it certainly is rich in flavour, big and animal, in a style one either likes or doesn’t. L&S (Mar 2005)


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There is a subtlety to this that strikes you immediately - gentle smoke, cold ash, tobacco, white truffle, brambled blackberry fruits, mint leaf, totally sublime, my favourite of the line up so far. It plays to the strengths of St Julien, and plays with nuanced light-and-shade in a way that the 2000 does not at this point. This is a high score for Gruaud Larose, and reflects the heights that this vintage is reaching right now - tracking how long it stays at this level is part of the beauty of wine. I tasted two versions, one decanted and one not - the smokey side is more evident in the carafe, but I preferred allowing it to open more slowly in the glass. Harvest September 21 to October 4, 35% new oak. Drinking range: 2021 - 2044 Rating: 98 Jane Anson, Decanter (Nov 2021)

The 2001 Gruaud Larose has a much more vivacious bouquet than the millennial Gruaud, featuring vibrant black cherry and raspberry fruit, pressed iris, light peaty scents and a touch of tobacco that emerges with time. There is more delineation here compared to the 2000. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-boned tannins and touches of soy borrowed from the previous vintage, yet there is more depth and delineation toward the finish. Drinking range: 2021 - 2040 Rating: 92 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Sept 2021)

(a blend of 60% cabernet sauvignon, 30% merlot, 7% cabernet franc and 3% petit verdot): Ruby with a pale rim. Rich, ripe nose offers red cherry, plum, spice, mineral and violet aromas. Dense, chewy and fresh, with precise, intense red and black fruit flavors complicated by a hint of licorice. Features a persistent saline note on the rich, long, slightly chunky finish. A very successful Gruaud. Rating: 91 Ian d'Agata, www.vinousmedia.com (Apr 2013)

Château Gruaud Larose

St Julien Deuxième cru 1855 The story of Château Gruaud Larose starts with Joseph Stanislas Gruaud who developed the estate in the early 18th Century. Two of his descendents ended up with different halves of the Gruaud estate until, in 1778, Chevalier de Gruaud died and left his portion to his son-in-law Joseph Sébastien de la Rose who immediately appended his name to the estate. Gruaud-Larose was split further in 1867, with Château Gruaud-Larose-Sarget and Château Gruaud-Larose-Faure being seperate until 1935 when the Cordier family, who'd bought the Sarget half in 1919, bought Gruaud-Larose-Faure and put the old estate back together again. Ownership by the Cordiers, and the association with other similarly labelled wines in the portfolio - Talbot, Meyney - kept Château Gruaud Larose as a consistent favourite among Bordeaux lovers. Gruaud-Larose is now owned by the Taillan Group. There are 82ha of vineyard, just to the south west of Beychevelle - 57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc, 3% Petit Verdot and 2% Malbec. A second wine was introduced in 1979 - Sarget de Gruaud-Larose. Gruaud-Larose is among the fuller-bodied styles of St Julien, producing consistently good wines and, whilst the crown of "best estate in St Julien" sits with Leoville Las Cases, the wines of Gruaud-Larose are always worth following.

This wine isn't currently part of a mixed case, but you can always browse our full selection of mixed cases here.
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