From: Bordeaux, France
Varietals: 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc, 3% Petit Verdot
Taste and Critical Acclaim: "What a perfumed, elegant, structured wine, with all the elements of fruit, wood, tannins just in the right place. It shows great tannins, powerful black, and red berry fruits, denseness, and a classic, fresh aftertaste." –Roger Voss, Wine Enthusiast, 94 points (December 2007)
"A dense and decadent wine with chocolate, currant, and licorice aromas and flavors. Medium to full body, firm tannins, and a fresh finish. A beautiful wine now. It shows the finesse and class of an aged Bordeaux." –James Suckling, 93 points (October 2016)
"This shows a rich and dense nose of blackberry, coffee, and smoke. Full-bodied, with soft and round tannins and a long, smoky finish. Very fresh and velvety. GL is really doing excellent things these days, even in less-than-easy vintages." –Wine Spectator, 92 points (March 2004)
"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." –ID, Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar, 91 points (May 2013)
"Tasted at the château at their '-1' vertical, a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot. The 2001 Gruaud Larose has a very attractive, quite fleshy bouquet with ebullient crushed raspberries, mulberry, allspice, and a touch of cumin. Good definition and vigour. The palate is medium-bodied with quite thick, chewy tannins that perhaps lack the finesse that more recent vintages have demonstrated. Very good weight, a little grittiness coming towards the finish with notes of tar and cedar beginning to usurp the primary fruit. This 2001 (like many in its alumni) is in its transitional stage. Very fine. Tasted April 2011." –Neal Martin, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, 90 points
"Mid crimson. Just slightly animal on the nose. Supple well-mannered palate entry. Then dry. Less luscious than Lagrange, and less luscious than many vintages of Gruaud, but it may well last longer." –Jancis Robinson, 17/20 points (March 2011)
Pairing: Like many red Bordeaux wines, the wine of Saint Julien is perfect with lamb, duck, game, chicken, and rare, grilled beef. St. Julien wines also pair well with most roasted, braised, or grilled meats and dishes with earthy flavors like mushroom and truffles. Tejal Rao’s recipe for Lamb Biryani brings the level of complexity to pair with this regally aged Saint Julien.
