Lights on… Château Gruaud Larose

Owner: Taillan Group
Appellation: Saint-Julien
Classification: Second Grand Cru
Surface of vines: 80 hectares
Average annual production: 300,000 bottles
Red color
Base grape varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon (65%), Cabernet Franc (7.5%), Merlot (31%), Petit Verdot (3%), Malbec (1.5%)
Other wines: Sarget de Gruaud Larose (192,000 bottles per year)

Story

The first known owner of Château Gruaud Larose was Joseph Stanislas Gruaud, a knight who owned the land around 1725. Although little is known about the early history of the estate, texts reveal that the descendants of Joseph, a priest and a magistrate known for his eccentricity, inherited large plots of vines and joined forces to baptize their vineyard "Fond-Bedeau". The magistrate, the Chevalier de Gruaud, stood out for his unusual, though surprisingly effective, tactic of raising the prices of unsold produce to encourage purchase. Following his death in 1778, his son-in-law Jean-Sébastien de Larose inherited his share of the estate, bought surrounding vines and renamed the property “Château Gruaud Larose”. In the years that followed, the wine of the Château received the favors of the royal courts and high society and would have been proclaimed "The King of Wines, the Wine of Kings". The label still bears this motto today.

During the following centuries, the estate was split up and changed owners many times before being reconstituted at the beginning of the 20th century by the Cordier family.

In 1997, Château Gruaud Larose was bought by the former merchant Jacques Merlaut, from the Taillan group. Since then, and thanks to the help of oenologist Eric Boissenot, Gruaud Larose has produced several excellent vintages which often show great femininity and a great deal of elegance. Although the Castle has not always been favored by Parker or his peers, it has many followers among those who defy criticism.

The 2009 vintage

The 2009 vintage is made from 68% of Cabernet Sauvignon and 38% of Merlot, with an alcohol content of 12.5%.

Last year, the vintage received excellent reviews among the most influential, among others Neal Martin (92-95), Stephen Tanzer (92) and Jancis Robinson (16.5/20). It was James Suckling who gave him the best mark (94-97). According to him, this vintage “could be better than the 2000, a classic”. Parker went even further, calling it “the best Gruaud since the 1990 vintage”.

“Rich, generous, savory and juicy in style, very delicate, but without traces of the masculinity and harshness often found in these types of wines. – RP 92-94+.

On the market

After several spectacular vintages in the 1980s, Gruaud did not make an impression in the 1990s: Parker awarded it marks between 82 and 89 points for 9 vintages out of 10. However, the quality of the last two vintages has significantly improved.

Parker gave the 2008 vintage an 89-91+ and critics described it as "heavier and denser than other recent vintages." The following year's vintage was rated even higher, reaching 92-94+ points, Gruaud's highest score since 2000. However, despite the Château's recent successes, particularly with Wine Spectator (see below), these wines remain surprisingly affordable. The 2001 vintage, for example, which James Suckling awarded 92 points, retails for €425 a case (12x75cl), while the 2005 vintage, which received 91 points, sells for €450 a case.

The table below shows the current prices for vintages from 2000 to 2009, along with their Parker and Wine Spectator ratings.

According to the Liv-Ex classification of Bordeaux in 2009 (classification of Bordeaux from the left bank on the sole basis of price), Château Gruaud Larose is sold at the price of a Fourth Grand Cru, well below the prices of other Second Grands Crus like a Château Pichon-Longueville Baron or a Château Montrose. If the quality continues to increase in the years to come, the prices will undoubtedly follow the same dynamic. Maybe it's time to buy?

Source: Livex
Jan 20, 2011