2022 Chateau Gruaud Larose Saint-Julien

CRITICAL ACCLAIM


Jeb Dunnuck - "The 2022 Château Gruaud Larose is largely Cabernet Sauvignon yet includes 14% Merlot and 3% Cabernet Franc that was brought up in 95% new barrels. It's an inky-hued 2022 that has a killer nose of crème de cassis, lead pencil shavings, liquid violets, and a beautiful, crushed stone-like minerality. This powerful, full-bodied Gruaud La Rose has plenty of mid-palate depth, fine, polished tannins, and a great finish. It's probably best hidden in the back of the cellar for a decade if possible, but it should be incredibly long-lived. I think it's as good as the 2018 and one of the absolute classics from this château. Score: 97+"


Decanter - "Another excellently consistent wine from Gruaud in 2022 that gives terroir typicality with crystalline purity and such overall charm. Smooth and supple, silky but firm, generous but serious. Gorgeous acidity keeps the palate lifted and fresh while the concentrated fruit and quite present tannins give the structure and frame. I love the detail and purity, powerful and strong but refined. Direct with energy and juicy, vibrant acidity. Mineral, graphite and liquorice aspects grip the palate and linger on the finish with soft spices. Has a very moreish quality with approachability but the racy core and intense backbone suggests long ageing potential. 3.8pH. 3.45g/l total acidity. 40% production. 13% press wine (only Cabernet Sauvignon). (GH)"


Vinous - "The 2022 Gruaud Larose, the first year made organically, left a big impression when tasted from barrel, evoking some of the legendary wines encountered in the past. Bottled in May 2024, it has a supremely well-defined bouquet features intense black fruit laced with pencil box and forest floor scents. Typically Saint-Julien in style - this communicates where it comes from. The palate is fresh and vibrant. This is a more structured and delineated Gruaud than previous vintages, with greater brightness. It has 'clean lines', so to speak, gently fanning out toward the finish that contains just the right amount of sapidity and becomes peppery with time in the glass. This is an outstanding success that completes justifies my positive review - who knows, it may kick on in the bottle. "


Robert Parker's Wine Advocate - "The progress at this estate continues with the terrific 2022 Gruaud Larose, a blend of 83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot and 3% Cabernet Franc that unfurls in the glass with deep aromas of minty blackberries, violets and pencil shavings. Medium to full-bodied, deep and layered, it's elegantly muscular, with a broad attack that segues into a concentrated mid-palate framed by supple, powdery tannins. Richer and more brooding than its 2020 and 2019 counterparts, it confirms Gruaud's return to the Saint-Julien élite. Around one-third of the production made it into the grand vin this year, the château's first with organic certification. (WK) 94-96+"