Saint-Julien · second growth (2e grand cru classé) in 1855
Château Gruaud Larose: vintages available, prices and food pairing
The grand vin of Gruaud Larose, older vintages included, vintage by vintage, with the format, the indicative price and what to expect from it today: ready to drink, or for keeping. Tick what interests you, and the quote goes out with your selection.
The vintages on our price list
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The château
One of the largest vineyards in Saint-Julien, in a single block on the plateau at the centre of the appellation. Its motto, “le roi des vins, le vin des rois” (the king of wines, the wine of kings), dates from the 18th century. The Merlaut family has owned it since 1997.
Mostly cabernet sauvignon, with merlot, a little cabernet franc and petit verdot. More structured than most Saint-Juliens, it gains from waiting: it is its old vintages that people seek out. Its second wine is called Sarget de Gruaud Larose. The appellation's other châteaux are on the Saint-Julien wines page.
The vineyard covers 82 hectares of Garonne gravels laid down more than 600,000 years ago, over a subsoil of red, yellow or blue clays, then sands and rolled pebbles. The vines are 46 years old on average: 61% cabernet sauvignon, 29% merlot, 7% cabernet franc, 3% petit verdot and 1.5% malbec. The château counts 2003 among its exceptional vintages: a great drought, half the normal rainfall, which the old vines rooted in the deep gravels withstood well. The blend has 66% cabernet sauvignon and 22% merlot.
What to serve it with
- An old vintage: furred game, venison or wild boar in sauce (wine with game), a long-simmered daube.
- A vintage of ten to twenty years: rib of beef (wine with beef), slow-cooked shoulder of lamb (wine with lamb).
- With cheese: well-aged pressed cheeses (wine with cheese). The wine has enough body for an old Gouda.
Which vintage for which occasion
For a golden wedding anniversary or a fiftieth birthday, an older vintage from the table, if it falls on the right year: the birth-year vintage page says what is still drinking. For a big winter dinner, a vintage of fifteen to twenty years, ready to drink, with game.
Is Château Gruaud Larose a grand cru classé?
Yes. It is a second growth (deuxième grand cru classé) in the 1855 classification, in the Saint-Julien appellation, at the same rank as Ducru-Beaucaillou and the three Léovilles. Its second wine, Sarget de Gruaud Larose, is not classified.
When should you drink a Gruaud Larose?
Allow ten years before opening it and thirty-five years of good form, a little longer in a great year, a little less in a weak year or in half bottles. The table applies this rule to every line; it is not a tasting note, and a badly stored bottle ages faster.
How should you serve a bottle more than forty years old?
Stand it upright the day before, so the sediment settles. Open it at the last moment, with a two-pronged cork puller if the cork is fragile. Pour it gently into a decanter and drink it within the hour: a very old wine opens up fast and fades fast. Have another bottle ready in case this one is tired.
Are the prices shown the ones in the quote?
They are the indicative prices from the price list, incl. VAT, per bottle of the format, delivery excluded. The quote confirms the price, the availability of each vintage and the shipping; the delivery grid gives the lead times. For a vintage not in the table, the quote request is still open.