Château Gruaud Larose - Saint-Julien 2005 6b11bd6ba9341f0271941e7df664d056

Wine Advocate

90 / 100

byRobert Parkerthe6/30/2015

The 2005 Gruaud Larose has a deep ruby/purple color, excellent concentration, and clean, pure black and red currant fruit, licorice and spice. It is medium to full-bodied, lush, and very soft and round. I’m surprised how drinkable it is already, although it is certainly capable of lasting 15 or more years.

Jancis Robinson

17,5 / 20

byJancis Robinsonthe2/9/2015

Dark purplish crimson. Complex, evolved, broad nose. Subtle, fruity and polished. Very complete and satisfying. A wine designed to give pleasure.  13% Drink 2020-2040

La Revue du Vin de France

15,5 / 20

the10/20/2014

Un style viril, avec une matière sauvage et des tanins abondants. Ce vin "ancienne école" impose plus de structure que de finesse. On peut tente la garde, mais il manque encore de définition.

Wine Advocate

92 / 100

byNeal Martinthe6/13/2009

Tasted single blind at Southwold. This is more reticent on the nose that other Saint Julien ‘05s. Pure blackberry, a touch of cassis, cedar and wild hedgerow. Well defined though. The palate has sappy black fruits, perhaps a little too polished with a supple, sensuous finish with notes of blackberry, plum and a touch of tangerine. Very good length although not as profound as some of its contemporaries. Still, a lovely wine to savour rather than analyze. Drink 2012-2025. Tasted January 2009.

Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar

90 / 100

byStephen Tanzerthe6/30/2008

Good red-ruby. Redcurrant, leather and game on the expressive if slightly rustic nose. Sweet and concentrated but a bit youthfully aggressive, and not showing the refinement or definition of the 2006. Strong nutty oak component. Finishes with substantial tannins that are a bit richer and more fully buffered by the wine's middle-palate material than those of the 2006. It will be interesting to compare these two vintages in ten years or so.

Wine Advocate

89 / 100

byRobert Parkerthe5/7/2008

Tasted on three separate occasions, this cuvee exhibits a dark ruby color (with much less saturation than many wines of the vintage) as well as a distinctive, herbal, meaty, horsey nose, medium to full body, good depth, power, and richness, and soft tannins. The wine’s rustic aromas and earthy style are intriguing and provocative. While an excellent effort, the 2005 Gruaud Larose is not one of the stars of the vintage. Anticipated maturity: 2011-2022.

Wine Spectator

91 / 100

byJames Sucklingthe2/22/2008

La Revue du Vin de France

18 / 20

the11/30/2007

Matière ample mais civilisée et milieu de bouche juteux et frais. Ilvieillira remarquablement. La plus belle réussite du cru depuis le formidable 1986.

Jancis Robinson

16,5 / 20

byJancis Robinsonthe11/21/2007

Mid crimson with the merest hint of evolution at the rim. Neat, round, well integrated already on the nose. big and bloody and bold. Bit of a bruiser - all the vintage ripeness sort of slopped into the glass. Not refined but should give lots of pleasure. Just slightly lacking focus.

Wine Spectator

89-91 / 100

byJames Sucklingthe3/28/2006

Very pretty aromas of flowers, berries, currants and light raisins. Full-bodied, with soft and round tannins and lovely ripeness. Attractive and balanced. —J.S.