Gruaud Larose revived

Nicolas Sinoquet & Virginie Sallette of Ch Gruaud-Larose in Bordeaux stand in front of a table of glasses, ready for a vertical tasting of their wine.

The recent history of this second growth examined. Above, CEO Nicolas Sinoquet with technical director Virginie Sallette. See this guide to our many accounts of bordeaux vertical tastings.

Ch Gruaud Larose is a stately Bordeaux property whose recent vintages have been turning critics’ and merchants’ heads. If the estate’s form in the early 2000s seemed somewhat lacklustre (confirmed at this tasting), recent years (2018, 2019 and 2020 in particular) have been impressive, the château apparently on the up and up, its second-growth (1855) status reconfirmed.

The 82-ha (203-acre) St-Julien property was acquired by the Merlaut family in 1997 and is...