1999 Château Gruaud Larose
Market price
Buying options
Tasting notes
Offering up aromas of weedy blackcurrant fruit mingled with notions of cigar box and grilled meats that reveal plenty of Brettanomyces, the 1999 Gruaud Larose is a medium-bodied, rather lean and meager wine that illustrates the extent of this estate's decline in the 1990s.
Critic scores
Wine Spectator
Robert Parker
More reviews and scores
A difficult vintage with a promising summer, but with rain at harvest. This majors black fruits, from bilberry, loganberry to blackberry, that have softened over the past 22 years but remain subdued, with an earthy quality, along with raspberry leaf, bay, cèpes and undergrowth. The classic St Julien mint leaf freshness and a juicy minerality come through on the finish. Harvest September 14 to 29. 35% new oak.
Rather luscious nose and thick and dense. Lots of fruit. Still quite dry finish. Muscular. Trying to punch at top vintage weight. Medium body – a real success and very good value. (JR)
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.