Chateau Gruaud Larose Saint-Julien 2. Cru Classé 2020 ØKO i trækasse

Decanter

Detailed and delicate, this has a seductive charm to it, slowly displaying scented blueberries and raspberries, before layers of salty minerality, liquorice, and cooling blue fruits come into play as well as tobacco and liquorice adding a savoury touch. It’s not immediately upfront - more calm and collected, slowly growing in stature and presence. Tannins are fine but mouthcoating, giving the structure, this isn't a light wine, but it's supremely elegant and excellently textured. Impressive complexity and drama here, still very serious but it's sublime too. A luminous wine I'd love to own.

Bernard Burtschy

Bettane & Desseauve

Tastingbook.com

WinesCritic.com

Elegant with a Bohemian nature alternating delicate mixed red flowers with hints of cut cedar, pink grapefruit, vetiver, sandalwood and white pepper. Full bodied, polished tannins of remarkably fine grain and an honest, genuine finale which will come out over time. Extremely high quality grapes which have been brought to the glass in a truly knowledgeable manner. A blend of 79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot and 4% Cabernet Franc.

Guillaume Gilbert, Sommelier

Bernard Burthschy

Bettane et Desseauve

Robert Parker

A serious, more obviously structured effort than the suave 2019, the 2020 Gruaud Larose opens in the glass with aromas of blackcurrants and blackberries mingled with subtle hints of burning embers, pencil shavings and violets framed by a deft touch of classy new oak. Medium to full-bodied, deep and concentrated, with rich, powdery tannins and vibrant fruit flavors, it concludes with an impressively penetrating finish. However, it appears likely to require patience.

James Suckling

A lovely softness and texture to this wine with a medium to full body, plenty of fruit and fine velvety tannins. It’s lovely to taste now and will age beautifully. Really seductive. Hard not to drink now but one for the cellar.

Jeb Dunnuck

Coming from the talented Virginie Salette (the head winemaker since 2017) and tiny yields of 32 hectoliters per hectare, the 2020 Château Gruaud Larose is 79% Cabernet, 14% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc, which continues the trend at this estate toward more and more Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend. Beautifully done, with a terrific sense of finesse, it offers a great nose of both red and black fruit as well as leafy tobacco, spring flowers, licorice, and spicy oak. Pure, medium to full-bodied, and wonderfully balanced, with fine tannins, it shows the focused, inward, almost understated style of the vintage without any rusticity or austerity. It needs a solid 7-8 years of bottle age, if not a decade, and is going to be very long-lived. Bravo.

Vert de Vin Magazine

On the nose, racy, elegant, offering delicacy, some power (in finesse), fine richness (excellence/in finesse), subtlety and a fine tight/compact character. It reveals the notes of fleshy/full-bodied blackberry, fleshy/pulpy strawberry and more lightly cherry combined with hints of flowers (lily/violet/almost white flowers), small fleshy/crushed currants, toasted almond, spice and a discreet hint of cardamom and vanilla. The palate is fruity and offers freshness, minerality, good definition, gourmandize, a certain juiciness, a fine tangy frame, tension, straightness/precision, a stretched side as well as richness (contained), elegance and excellence. On the palate are notes of pulpy/juicy cherry, redcurrant and more lightly bright cassis associated with touches of violet, racy minerality as well as fine points of lilac, sweet spices, cardamom, discrete points of toast, hazelnut, caramelization and a very discreet touch of vanilla (in the background). The tannins are precise, elegant, nicely conducted and offer a little mellow. Good length and persistence. A fine chew on the finish/persistence.

Izak Litwar, Great Bordeaux Wines

Impressive stuff.

Wine Spectator

#25 Wine Spectator Top 100 of 2023 | Rock-solid, with a core of dark plum, boysenberry and blackberry compote flavors held together with cedar, savory, tobacco and singed apple wood notes that add texture and energy through the finish. Built for the cellar. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc.

Antonio Galloni

The 2020 Gruaud-Larose is a powerful, dense wine. Super-ripe dark cherry, kirsch, menthol, licorice, rose petal and espresso infuse the palate with tons of intensity. Unctuous and flamboyant, the 2020 also offers a good bit of energy to keep things in balance. The 2020 is very much an extrovert, a gorgeous extrovert at that. Sweet floral and spice accents, along with a kick of sweet French oak, linger.

Jean-Marc Quarin

Alexandre Ma

VV Wine

Deep dark, noble, slightly smoky, leather, blackberry, cassis. The palate is compact, where power and finesse meet, sparkling clean, with the finest tannins, crisp fruit and a lively acidity. Balanced from A-Z, long, spicy in the finale. A very harmonious Gruaud that should mature well.

Anthocyanes Yohan Castaing

Vinum

Restrained but promising; of almost erratic structure, shows impressive breed, density and depth, as well as great, fruity length; a Gruaud of a special class.

Jeff Leve, The Wine Cellar Insider

Cigar box, smoke, herbs, cassis, espresso and blackberries with a savory edge open the wine aromatically. The palate offers freshness, layers of ripe, spicy currants and peppery blackberries with chewy tannins that really hang with you, providing length, vibrancy and refinement in the finish. This is going to age and evolve for decades.