Chateau Gruaud Larose 2000

Château Gruaud Larose 2nd Growth St Julien, Bordeaux, France, 2000 

For many years Gruaud-Larose was owned by the négociants Cordier, who also own Château Talbot. It was sold in 1993 to the French conglomerate, Alcastel Alstom, which in turn sold it to the Taillan Group, owners of Chasse-Spleen and Haut-Bages-Libéral, in 1997. The talented Georges Pauli has remained as régisseur and winemaker throughout all these changes.

Gruaud-Larose has 84 hectares of vineyards located on a gravel-rich plateau just to the west of Château Beychevelle. The wine is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (65%), Merlot (29%), Cabernet Franc (3%), Petit Verdot (2%) and Malbec (1%). Vinification takes place in a mixture of wooden vats and cement tanks and the wine is aged in oak barriques (30% new) for 18 months.

Gruaud-Larose can be tannic and ungainly in youth but with bottle ageing it becomes marvellously harmonious and develops complex and beguiling characteristics of concentrated black fruits, cedar, spices and liquorice.

One of the greatest wines of the vintage, layer after layer of pure fruit, with a long, long finish. 

Critics' Tasting Notes:

"A very strong effort for Gruaud Larose, possibly eclipsed by what they have done in 2009, this is a pure, full-bodied Gruaud Larose with plenty of new saddle leather, cedar wood, black currants, cherries, licorice, and Provencal herbs. Spicy, earthy, full-bodied, and rich, it has hit its plateau of full maturity, where it should stay for another 20 or more years."

94/100 points, Robert M. Parker Jr., WINE ADVOCATE, June 2010

"Medium ruby red. A dream nose, dark fruit, herbs, leather, a touch of animalism, tobacco, cherry, floral tones, a poem. On the palate with good concentration, still very nice fruit, noticeable structure, fine-grained tannins, the acidity is well measured, the finish is long-lasting, balanced, dark fruity. A wine with race and class. Now great, with reserves for 15+ years."

94/100 points, Adrian van Velsen, vvWine.ch, March 2023