Château Gruaud Larose 2000

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.

There's nice richness here, with velvety-textured blackberry, fig and boysenberry confiture flavors rolling through, edged by a graphite note that slowly takes over on the finish. This has serious spine, with tar and ganache echoes hanging in the background, boding well for continued development. -- Blind 2000 Bordeaux retrospective (December 2015). Drink now through 2023. 18,750 cases made.

The 2000 Gruaud Larose has a perfumed, floral nose with touches of leather, wild mint, and just a hint of Brettanomyces in the background, though not as much as the 1990 tasted alongside. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins, fresher than the 1990, with grainy tannins and touches of pencil lead and allspice. A little espresso and leather emerge toward the slightly loose-knit finish, suggesting it will not improve with further bottle age. Tasted at the Gruaud Larose vertical at the château in February 2023.

This is developing quite nicely. The tobacco, cassis, herb and spicy cassis nose pairs perfectly with the classically styled, full-bodied character, leaving a blend of cassis, blackberry, earth and a touch of green tapenade on the finish. While this is nice now, it should get even better with a few more years in the bottle.

Fully mature (yet I'd say in the early stages of its drink window), the 2000 Château Gruaud Larose offers a ripe, powerful, medium- to full-bodied style as well as lots of currant and darker fruits followed by cedarwood, tobacco, iron, and assorted meaty, spicy nuances. It's a rich, almost chunky effort with a great mid-palate, still present yet ripe tannins, and a great finish. It lacks some of the purity and precision of today's wines yet is a satisfying, rich, impressively textured Saint-Julien to drink over the coming 15–20 years.

01: Dense, deep garnet-purple with a delicate orange hue. Spicy cedar and plum bouquet, fine currant-like notes and tar indicating great terroir depth, with a touch of Rhône character on the nose. Juicy palate, again showing warm extract, even a hint of fig, licorice, strong astringency and superb concentration. An atypical Gruaud, as in recent years one had grown used to the delicacy of a finer-boned wine. This one is masculine, showing many tannins that call for bottle age. So—only those with real patience will be able to take true pleasure here in about twelve years. Shows parallels to Gruaud-Larose 1982! (18/20). 14: Dark color. Very dense, multi-layered, black pepper, spicy Cabernet Sauvignon with cedar and fine cinnamon aromas, precious woods. Firm palate, the tannins are rounded, very good balance. It has now gained and earned an extra point. At around 130 francs market price, it’s a bargain. (19/20). 15: In Stuttgart on the motorbike tour. Just awesome. The Calon-Ségur—even the 2000—stood no chance! (19/20). 18: Medium-dark, full in the middle, no signs of maturity yet. The bouquet is dreamy, bound by ripe malt notes, contours of black fruit. It goes deep and shows licorice and tar notes in the spice. The palate is intoxicating, noble and aromatic in every way, with an intense, almost purely black-berried finish. Right now it’s at a first, beautiful stage of maturity. A brilliant Gruaud that one should definitely seek out on the market. (19/20). 21: The not particularly dark color shows clear maturity. Regal bouquet, roasted notes, bread crust, instant coffee, currants, leather tones and tobacco. A magnificent nose that after 20 years already shows more terroir spice than remaining fruit. Aromatic palate, concentrated extract, here it shows that the tannins are not yet fully developed and thus the wine still has an even greater future ahead. Decant for two hours. Or wait a bit longer. Neither is wrong. (19/20). 22: Deep purple, showing relatively few signs of evolution. Highly intense, multi-layered bouquet seasoned with lots of cedar and Dominican tobacco. This is exactly how; a.) Gruaud and b.) a great Saint-Julien should smell. On the palate, this intense aromatics continue, tannins still providing good support, further potential and yet already showing an initial great drinking window, intense finish. It ends exactly as it began. Right on the peak with further guaranteed pleasure. (19/20).

Velvety, dense, complex, profound bouquet with fine fruit, black cassis, liquorice, cedar, nougat, smoke, black truffle, dark tobacco. Concentrated, multilayered, dark palate with dense dark fruit, plenty of fine tannins, a dense, elegant structure, powerful, multifaceted dark aromatics, and a very long, powerful, fresh finish. 19/20 drink - 2040

Concentrated and still carried by confident tannins at 21 years old, this really shows how slowly and carefully Gruaud Larose ages. Black pepper spice ripples through blackberry and blackcurrant liqueur, and you can feel the ripeness of the grapes. As it opens, black truffle, slate and espresso emerge, as so often with Gruaud Larose, along with plenty of charred cedar and a juicy finish. Now opening up, but still with the freshness and slightly austere tannins of a young wine, a brilliant combination of power and delicacy. Harvest September 21 to October 4, 35% new oak.

Deep garnet-brick in color, the 2000 Gruaud Larose swans out of the glass with notes of Indian spices, tobacco leaf, and iron ore leading to wafts of dried flower, iodine, sweaty leather, and incense with a touch of smoked meats. The medium-bodied palate delivers a great core of muscular fruit with bright acidity to balance and plush, powdery tannins, finishing long and ferrous.

Still very ripe and rich, Château Gruaud Larose shows the aromatic exuberance that is typical of it after ten years, with pronounced animal notes. The pursuit of body and density is obvious. At this stage, it comes a little at the expense of tannic elegance. This Saint-Julien will age gently.

Dark color, of normal intensity and slightly evolved. Nose of ripe fruit. Notes of vanilla and smoke. A juicy attack that surprises with its airy character and wrapped tannins, without rigidity. Good power. Long, pleasant finish. It’s good!

A very typical wine for the year, with its generous ripe fruit and blackberry jelly flavors. There is just a hint of animal on the palate, but this is overwhelmed by the rich texture.