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I like the aromas of sliced mushroom, berries and wet earth, that follow through to a full body, with super silky tannins and a chewy finish. A fit, yet polished wine here. Try after 2020.James Suckling | 95 JSAs I wrote in my barrel tasting note, the 2009 appears to be the finest Gruaud Larose since their 1990. Some of my concerns about too much brett in previous vintages are long gone as the purity of the 2009 jumps out. Copious notes of sagebrush, cedar, cigar box, licorice, incense, blackberries and lead pencil shavings suggest a big Pauillac rather than a St.-Julien. Broad, rich and full-bodied with good balance and abundant, but sweet, well-integrated tannin, this big, masculine Gruaud Larose reveals remarkable finesse, richness, extract, density and a cascade of fruit that nearly hides the lofty tannins. This beauty should be at its best between 2020-2045.Robert Parker | 95 RPThe 2009 Gruaud Larose has a fresh, backward, tightly coiled bouquet with ample blackberry and bilberry fruit, fine tension and focus, a nose that is intending to last the distance (and why not?) The palate is very well balanced with a fine bead of acidity, fresh and vibrant, laced-like tannin with a wonderfully detailed and persistent finish. This is some quality winemaking here and it is a wonderful 2009 Saint-Julien. Tasted blind at Farr Vintners’ 2009 Bordeaux tasting.Vinous Media | 95 VMSmoky grilled oak on the nose is joined by some tarry hints. The palate is structured and ambitious, and will take a good few more years to come around. I would go for Branaire or Lagrange as my picks of classified St-Juliens to open soon, but this is an extremely good quality wine that is going to age very well. Drinking Window 2019 - 2036.Decanter | 94 DECVanilla new wood aromas, followed by sweet wood and sweet fruit. There is certainly enough weight here, with ripe, smooth texture and fresh blackcurrants.Wine Enthusiast | 94 WEThis has good density, with fleshy blackberry and blueberry cobbler flavors laced with anise, sweet spice and smoldering maduro tobacco notes. Long and well-structured, with fresh, embedded acidity. Best from 2013 through 2023. 14,500 cases made.Wine Spectator | 92 WSThe 2009 Gruaud Larose is a fine example of the vintage in the making. The bouquet is deep, ripe and promises quite a bit of structure in its mélange of cassis, black cherries, tobacco leaf, espresso, gravelly soil tones and spicy new oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, complex and quite buttoned down behind its structural elements, with a rock solid core of fruit, firm tannins and impressive acidity on the long, focused and tangy finish. This will take at least a decade to blossom, but should prove to be a fine vintage of Gruaud. (Drink between 2020-2060)John Gilman | 89-91 JG

Scented nose full of cedar, coffee, chocolate, liquorice, blackcurrant and floral fragrance. Light and lean, but full of flavour, the fruit dances across the palate while the relatively tight but fine tannins give structure. Great acidity and lovely elements of sour cherries, fresh-picked blackcurrants and crushed strawberries with an underlying mineral, slightly salty tang. Delicious.Decanter | 95 DECThe 2021 Gruaud Larose has turned out very nicely in bottle, unfurling in the glass with aromas of sweet wild berries, plums, violets and cigar wrapper. Medium to full-bodied, fleshy and velvety, it’s polished and seamless, with good depth at the core, supple tannins and lively acids.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94 RPThe 2021 Gruaud Larose is a wine of pure breeding and stature. Sepia-toned fruit, spice, new leather, licorice, gravel, dried herbs, pencil shavings and incense are beautifully amplified. Pliant and expansive in the glass, with terrific energy, the 2021 exudes class. Polished, supple tannins wrap it all together, before a final burst of vibrant acidity extends the finish.Vinous Media | 94 VMThe 2021 Gruaud Larose is composed of 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot, and 4% Cabernet Franc. Deep garnet-purple in color, it springs from the glass with vibrant notes of kirsch, juicy raspberries, and fresh blackcurrants giving way to underlying scents of violets, licorice, and wild sage plus a touch of pencil lead. The light to medium-bodied palate delivers lovely harmony, with impressively sustained mid-palate fruit and lots of mineral and earth accents framed by fine-grained tannins, finishing with great purity.The Wine Independent | 94 TWIThe 2021 Château Gruaud Larose checks in as 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot, and 4% Cabernet Franc that spent 18 months in 95% new French oak. It’s concentrated and medium-bodied, with a relatively closed, inward style in its black cherry and redcurrant fruit as well as subtle tobacco and graphite-laced aromas and flavors. I love its overall balance, as well as its mid-palate depth and polished tannins. It needs just 2-4 years in the cellar and is going to drink beautifully over the following decade or more.Jeb Dunnuck | 91 JD