2018 - Gruaud Larose, Saint-Julien

Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2018 Gruaud Larose needs a little coaxing before it bursts onto the scene with notes of stewed black plums, boysenberry preserves, and blackcurrant pastilles plus suggestions of underbrush, wild roses, and cumin seed with a waft of espresso. The medium to full-bodied palate is jam packed with spicy black fruits framed by velvety tannins and just enough freshness, finishing long and opulent.

Primary blackberry and blueberry fruits abound, rippling with tar, chocolate, bristling tannins. A gorgeous wine, full of gourmet edges, seductive and creamy, if a little less St Julien in signature than the other more recent vintages of Gruaud Larose - as was typical in a vintage with such a warm summer, and such a concentration of flavours in the September leading up to harvest. 40hl/h yield, 90% new oak. 50% of the vineyard was being farmed organically at this stage, with harvest from September 20 to October 6. Second vintage for Virginie Sallette as technical director, as she had arrived in 2017 from Ducru Beaucaillou.

The 2018 Gruaud Larose has a burly and powerful nose with blackberry and juniper, perhaps without the same precision as the previous vintage, the summer stamping its authority over the aromatics. The palate is medium-bodied with a slightly lactic entry, though less than before, with dark chocolate infusing the black fruit with a dab of black pepper and spice box on the finish. It finishes with style, though I prefer the 2019 by comparison. Tasted at the Gruaud Larose vertical at the château in February 2023.