Full-bodied, layered and juicy young wine. Very tannic yet ripe and intense. Powerful finish. This will be excellent. Better than the 2015. Mar 2017, www.jamessuckling.com
James SucklingScore: 95-96/100
A balanced, measured, incredibly tight delivery of the triumvirate of tannins, fruit and acidity. The architecture hits the level of the 2010, fairly unusual in a year where the tannins have such a deft brush stroke in the main. This is a great Gruaud that is going to run and run. Aged for 18 months in 80% new oak. As of 2017, half of the vineyard (approximately 40ha) is being worked biodynamically. Apr 2017, www.decanter.com, Drink: 2027-2050
DecanterScore: 95/100Drink 2027-2050
The 2016 Gruaud Larose is a blend of 69% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc this year, picked between 29 September until 15 October (with the Petit Verdot) and matured in 80% new oak, the remainder one or two years old. The alcohol is a modest 13.02%. It has a generous bouquet with scents of blackberry, briary, a touch of sandalwood and tobacco, gaining more precision as it aerates in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, certainly one of the most finessed Gruaud Larose in recent years, with perfectly judged acidity. I love the focus here, a little understated at first but you cannot deny the intensity and precision on the finish. Moreover, this seems to be a slightly more detailed Gruaud, nuanced and long in the mouth. Excellent—and I suspect it might be a little more approachable than some of its peers. Apr 2017, www.robertparker.com, Drink: 2023-2060
Neal MartinScore: 93-95/100Drink 2023-2060
The 2016 Gruaud Larose is blended of 69% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc. Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, it leaps from the glass with notes of red and black cherries, warm plums and freshly crushed blackcurrants plus hints of violets, oolong tea, aniseed and tilled soil with a waft of garrigue. Medium-bodied, the palate struts tons of elegantly fragrant red and black fruit flavors with a firm backbone of ripe, grainy tannins and loads of freshness, finishing long and perfumed. Nov 2018, www.robertparker.com
Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, Wine AdvocateScore: 94/100
Initially there's a whiff of sweet oak, and then underneath there is the vineyard and real savour. Ripe but not forced. Good stuff with a 'mineral' whiff. Not a blockbuster but very well balanced with lovely length. Apr 2017, www.jancisrobinson.com, Drink: 2025-2045
Jancis Robinson MWScore: 17.5/20Drink 2025-2045
This delivers a pure beam of cassis and cherry preserves, underscored by a layer of warm dark earth. Stays polished in feel, with lovely freshness on the relatively open-knit finish. Apr 2017, James Molesworth, www.winespectator.com
Wine SpectatorScore: 91-94/100
Bordeaux / France
2023-2060