1989 Gruaud Larose
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Tasting Notes
“Deep garnet colour, the 1989 Gruaud Larose is slowly heading towards its peak. The nose is delicate with aromas of cassis and tobacco that gently open up in the glass. On the palate, tertiary notes of leather, cedar and spice stand out. Despite its age, this 1989 has retained remarkable freshness that persists on the long finish. It is drinking perfectly now and will continue to do so for the next few years.”
Critic Scores
Average Score
Wine Spectator
Robert Parker
More reviews and scores
Delivers fabulous aromas of crushed red fruits, with leather, tar, tobacco and mint. Full-bodied, offering supersoft and silky tannins, as well as a beautiful polish. Open and luscious, with amazing richness of fruit and decadence at the same time.¿'89/'99 Bordeaux blind retrospective (2009). Drink now. 44,000 cases made. James Suckling, Wine Spectator 2010.
In this blind tasting, the 1989 Gruaud-Larose was corked, but a bottle secured through a friend and tasted under non-blind circumstances was excellent, nearly outstanding. The herbal side of Gruaud-Larose was more noticeable in the 1989. The wine revealed a deep ruby/purple color (but not the opaqueness of the 1990), more obvious tannin, without the mid-palate and sweet inner-core of fruit exhibited by the 1990. It is a big, tannic, spicy wine, with plenty of potential, but not the sweetness and chewy texture of the 1990. The 1989 needs more time to shed its cloak of tannin; give it 5-8 years of cellaring and drink it over the following 20+ years. Feb 1997, www.robertparker.com
About the producer
Ch. Gruaud Larose is a Second Growth estate in Saint-Julien, Bordeaux. It is often considered one of the best-value Left Bank estates, with the wines occasionally matching those of the First Growths.