Château Gruaud Larose 2016

This has a wide range of red currant, blackberry, black cherry and açaí berry fruit flavors forming the core, with a very sleek iron note lurking underneath it all. The finish uses a fine singed wood stitching to pull the fruit and minerality together. Lovely. Best from 2023 through 2038. 12,200 cases made.

This is a dense, smoky wine with powerful tannins. It follows the line of richness set since the 2014 vintage and balances rich black fruits and concentrated tannins cut with final acidity. Drink from 2025.

This is well built and powerful, not exactly subtle, but then none of these wines are. Instead you get complex, layered and concentrated inky fruits, with some aniseed too. The balance and elegance of St-Julien comes in through the tailored and fine tannins on the finish, but while these tannins may be fine, there are lots of them. 80% new oak.

So much sweet-tobacco and currant character with some earth on the nose. Full body, firm and chewy tannins and a long and flavorful finish. Closed and complex still, but a typically beautiful Bordeaux. Try after 2022.

The 2016 Gruaud Larose has a beautiful nose that is much more pure than the vintages from the noughties. It's well-defined with blackberry, blueberry and crushed violet scents. This is much more floral in style. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-grain tannins, supple and poised, with a gentle build in the mouth, but, to use a word I wrote before, there is something sedate about this Gruaud; it doesn’t want to create too much fuss. Lovely. Tasted at the Gruaud Larose vertical at the château in February 2023.

Medium/full-bodied, with a leafy, herbal edge and a touch of spice and smoke to the right red fruits, give this at least a decade in the cellar before pulling a cork.

Nice dark fruity nose with some tar, leather, damp tobacco and floral notes with fine oak in the background. The palate is dense and flavour intense with lovely purity, freshness and balance offering crushed berries. Very cabernet-driven taste with cassis and sage notes, ripe but present tannin offering a nice austerity and lift followed by a very long finish. Stylish and classic with a fine polish.

69% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc, 13% vol. Aged in 80% new barriques for 18–24 months. Deep purple with lilac highlights and a violet rim. Intense violet on the open nose, followed by blackberry and dark cherry, light tobacco and blackcurrant. On the palate, powerful, with a tightly knit structure and ripe tannins—what concentration on the finish! A full load of blue berries and liquorice. A magnificent Gruaud with tremendous potential!

Kunz Fassprobe 17: Deep, classic, powerful bouquet: black berries, cedar, plums, Black Currant, truffle, dark tobacco. Concentrated, powerful, multi-layered palate with a dense, muscular structure, velvety fruit, an abundance of fine tannins, dense, complex aromatics, and a very long, aromatic finish with dark back-notes.

Savoury, slim, structured, layered, has plenty of longevity in its architecture, firm tannins, grilled peppercorns and raspberry puree, tobacco leaf and cocoa bean, this is so good. 80% new oak for ageing. Georges Pauli, long term technical director, was still overseeing things at the estate, although at this point more from the board of directors. Eric Boissenot consultant.

It is being a bit temperamental just after bottling, but we are keeping the faith, based on the best of the three tastings. Full and fleshy, with tannins of perfect elegance, but the nose is not yet in place compared with the immense promises shown at the end of ageing. Let’s give it time.

Gruaud 2016 stands out as a new benchmark for the estate. The wine is both powerful and refined, with a majestic palate and very elegant tannins. Complete and full of promise.

Aromas of black fruits with a hint of graphite. Fresh, fruity palate, supple and elegant tannins, with a fresh finish.

Garnet-red with violet highlights. A complex, intense bouquet marked by freshness, with notes of spice and blackcurrant. A generous, juicy, lively attack. Pleasant freshness and good aromatic intensity through to the finish. Gruaud Larose 2016 is perfectly supported by its structure, which gives it real character. It is precise and refined, ideally carried by elegant, well-integrated tannins that lend a pleasantly silky touch. A wine with everything you’d expect from a great Gruaud—or, more explicitly, a great Gruaud-Larose! It will need time ;-)

The nose is fruity, elegant, refined and straightforward, with a sense of poise and good structure. It reveals notes of ripe/fresh raspberry, ripe blackcurrant and subtle hints of blueberry, complemented by small touches of fleshy strawberry. The palate is fruity, juicy, indulgent, elegant, precise and well-balanced, offering richness and tension, a lovely distinguished minerality, fine definition and precision, great finesse and harmony, along with a silky texture and a slight creaminess through the mid-palate. On the palate, the wine expresses notes of ripe/fleshy/fresh raspberry, strawberry, fleshy/fresh cherry and delicate hints of blueberry and blackcurrant, joined by subtle notes of chocolate/tonka bean, discreet touches of caramelised oak and a delicate hint of cardamom. The tannins are fine and polished.

Logo on the cork: DF This is the year the new wooden vat room was introduced. All the vats have been replaced. Deep dark red colour, youthful and vibrant. An intense, fruity nose, purer than before. Subtle nuances. Precise on the attack, very delicate and fragrant on the mid-palate, with a graceful mouthfeel, this wine makes you wish for a bit more energy. However, its progression across the palate is exquisitely refined. Average length, with no tannic edge. Overall, it still seems particularly young to me. You will appreciate its modest alcohol level: 13%. Final blend: 69% cabernet sauvignon, 2% cabernet franc and 29% merlot.