Château Gruaud Larose 2022 Saint-Julien 2e Grand Cru Classé

Decanter
97/100 punten
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).

Jane Anson (Inside Bordeaux)
96/100 punten
Spicy, intense and concentrated, and yet delivers juicy drinkability from beginning to end, not an easy balance to achieve in 2022. The vintage trace comes through in notes of tobacco, dried herbs, cloves and sandalwood, with tannic build up through the palate, but it is balanced by fresh mint leaf, cassis, bilberry, cocoa bean, and salinity. Firm tannic architecture, excellent quality. 33% of production in the 1st wine, 95% new oak.

Neal Martin (Vinous)
(95-97)/100 punten
The 2022 Gruaud Larose was picked from 7 to 24 September and includes a little more pressed wine this year: 13.5% exclusively from Cabernet Sauvignon due to the quality. This latest vintage matured for a planned 18 months in 95% new oak. Significantly, this is the first year under organic certification (notice two storks on the label signifying this. Maybe they are carrying a little Gruaud baby?) At 13.64% alcohol, this is less than many other properties for those seeking slower intoxication. It has an impressive bouquet with pure blackberry and raspberry fruit, black truffle and sous-bois scents. I am impressed by its delineation and focus; frankly, these are the nicest aromatics I've encountered for a while at this address. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-grain tannins. I cannot remember a Gruaud at this nascent stage that exhibits this level of energy and tension deriving from the Cabernet Sauvignon extracted at the beginning of vinification. There's much more precision here. Mineral-driven toward the finish, this easily surpasses vintages made at the estate over the last decade and more. Perhaps like the legendary Gruauds of old (1982, 1961, 1928, even 1870)? Gruaud reborn.

Bettane & Desseauve
(96-98)/100 punten
‘Unieke prijs-kwaliteitverhouding op dit niveau’ 

Jeff Leve (The Wine Cellar Insider)
(95-97)/100 punten
Deep in color, with a simple swirl you find wet forest floor, cigar box, licorice, spice, flowers, and currants in the perfume. On the palate, the wine is concentrated, rich and dense, but refined, round. and juicy. Even with all that weight, the wine is vibrant, energetic, long and fresh, The finish builds in intensity, leaving you with layers of dark black, red and blue fruits, chocolate, licorice, espresso. and spice. 2022 marks the first vintage Gruaud Larose was organically certified. [...] Yield were 30 hectoliters per hectare.

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
(94-96+)/100 punten
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.

The Wine Independent (Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW)
(94-96)/100 punten
A blend of 83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot, and 3% Cabernet Franc, the 2022 Gruaud Larose is deep garnet-purple in color. It needs some coaxing to bring out scents of wild blueberries, blackcurrant jelly, and black raspberries, with touches of garrigue, dried mint, underbrush, and dusty soil. The medium-bodied palate is tightly wound with bright, youthful black fruits and evocative mineral sparks, framed by grainy tannins and seamless freshness, finishing earthy. 40% of the year's production went into the first wine.

Jancis Robinson
17,5/20 punten
Deep crimson hue. Cassis and mineral nose. Juicy and vibrant with a real notion of drinkability. Elegant texture and tannins. Very long finish. Plenty of charm but substance as well.

Falstaff
96/100 punten
Deep, dark ruby, opaque core, purple reflections, subtly brighter at the rim. Intense dark fruits of the forest, hints of black cherry, a touch of herbs, precious oak and candied orange zest. Complex, juicy, ripe plums, fresh acidity, mineral-salty finish. Shows good length, and is a versatile, energetic food companion with definite ageing potential.