12 (.750) bottles, purchased on release, EXCELLENT (new) condition, stored in my cellar (NY).
$225.00 per bottle.
GRUAUD-LAROSE
St. Julien, Bordeaux, France
Average age of vines, fifty three years
57 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Merlot, 7.5% Cabernet Franc, 3% Petit Verdot & 1.5% Malbec
In 1757, Gruaud Larose was created by the wealthy and enthusiastic proprietor, Monsieur Gruaud, by merging three properties, Tenac, Sartaignac and Dumarle, to form this important growth which was at first known as Fonbedeau. Gruaud made a name for himself both as an enthusiastic viticulturist and as something of an eccentric, for to live on your estate and personally supervise its management in every respect was hardly the norm in France of the ancien regime. He built a tower to observe work on all parts of his large estate and from the top of which he would fly a flag whenever a vintage had been successfully gathered in. On his death in 1778, he left his estate to Monsieur de Larose, a member of the noblesse de robe which played a very important part in the development of the Medoc in the years before the French Revolution. For decades, Gruaud-Larose produced St. Julien’s most massive and backward wine. Under the new proprietor, Jacques Merlaut, there has been an obvious trend to produce a more refined, less rustic and tannic style of Gruaud.
1990-Meaty, smoky, sweet berry and black currant characteristics intertwined with roasted herb, charcoal, new saddle leather, and bloody steak juice like notes are found in this lush, full bodied, opulent wine. It is a fully mature 1990 that, given its depth and intensity, should continue to evolve for at least another fifteen years. Release price: ($350.00/case) Drink: now to 2024. Last tasted, 6/09. Rating, 94. RP
This wine continues to get better and better and is certainly one of the great successes in what is a profound vintage for Bordeaux. While the wine still tastes young, it is already complex, with so much sweet tannin and lavish fruit that it is impossible to resist, even though it probably will not hit its plateau of maturity for another five to six years. A stunning nose of licorice, earth, Provencal herbs, black currants, asphalt and cherries soars from the glass. Full bodied, opulent, with fabulous concentration, a seamless texture and remarkable stuffing and power, this low acid, thick, almost viscous wine can be drunk now or cellared for at least another two decades. For trivia buffs, this was the wine President Chirac served former President Clinton when he hosted Clinton in Paris at the famous Parisian bistro L’Ami Louis in June 1999. I know, because several days latter President Chirac gave me the Legion of Honor. In his speech, he acknowledged the fact that President Clinton only wanted to “drink a wine highly rated by Robert Parker.” Drink: now to 2020. Last tasted, 9/02. Rating, 96. RP
E/M Questions, Photos, Shipping info.