Gruaud Larose BYOB at Entourage DG
Returning from our Destin (FL) vacation home, we dined at our newest favorite go-to eatery, Entourage in nearby Downers Grove (IL). Planning to select their fabulous meat loaf or beef stroganoff entree, I took BYOB from our cellar this vintage aged premium Bordeaux Blend.
I ordered what has become one of my favorite dishes, Wagyu Meatloaf Sundae - Truffle + Parmesan Whipped Potatoes, Brioche, Wild Mushroom Gravy, Vegetable Succotash topped with Crispy Onions.
A mini horizontal tasting of sorts, following two other similar wines from this same vintage, I selected another 2005 vintage release of a premium label from the same appellation, region.
I wrote about the other two labels in these two recent blogposts - Clos du Marquis with beef stroganoff, and Sociando Mallet with grilled beefsteak.
Like the Clos du Marquis, this is also from the St Julien appellation, the Gruaud Larose estate sitting less than three kilometers (1.6 miles) away.
And as we did with Leoville Las Cases, we also visited the Gruaud Larose estate during our visit to the area in 2019, as featured in my blogpost at the time - A Visit to Château Gruaud-Larose St Julie Beychevelle Bordeaux.
It was one of the key visits on our trip to the St Julien Appellation (AOC) in Bordeaux was Château Gruaud-Larose, a 2ème Cru Classé or 'second growth', one of fifteen Deuxièmes Crus (Second Growths) as classified in the original Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855.
During our spectacular week in St Julien, we visited Léoville du Marquis de Las Cases, producers of the recently tasted Clos du Marquis featured in these pages, Chateau Ducru Beaucaillou, and Léoville-Poyferré, three other second growth St Julien producers, and Fourth Growth producers Château Beychevelle and Château Branaire-Ducru. As with all the others, we hold or have consumed a selection of Gruaud Larose dating back several decades to the early eighties.
This label is one of my favorite Bordeaux and key holdings in our cellar collection consisting of more than a dozen vintages spanning three decades dating back to 1980 including the birth year vintages of each of our kids, 1981, 1982, 1985 and 1990. We hold many vintages in large format bottles including 3 liter double magnums which we served at daughter Erin's and son-in-law Johnny's wedding.
During our spectacular week in St Julien, we visited Léoville du Marquis de Las Cases, producers of the recently tasted Clos du Marquis featured in these pages, Chateau Ducru Beaucaillou, and Léoville-Poyferré, three other second growth St Julien producers, and Fourth Growth producers Château Beychevelle and Château Branaire-Ducru. As with all the others, we hold or have consumed a selection of Gruaud Larose dating back several decades to the early eighties.
This label is one of my favorite Bordeaux and key holdings in our cellar collection consisting of more than a dozen vintages spanning three decades dating back to 1980 including the birth year vintages of each of our kids, 1981, 1982, 1985 and 1990. We hold many vintages in large format bottles including 3 liter double magnums which we served at daughter Erin's and son-in-law Johnny's wedding.
This is a wine that demands, but then rewards holding for the long term and several years if not decades of cellaring.
Château Gruaud Larose is one of the most historic estates in the Médoc dating back to 1725 when Abbot Gruaud bought just under 125 acres of land and planted vineyards. Since then, four families have succeeded one another at the head of Gruaud Larose: the Gruaud and Larose families, the Balguerie and Sarget families, the Cordier family and the Merlaut family.
In 1812, the property was sold to Pierre Balguerie, Baron Jean Auguste Sarget and David Verdonnet.
Shortly after the official 1855 Classification of the Medoc, control of the property was split further among their descendants, but remained intact until 1867 when it was split into Château Gruaud-Larose-Sarget (after the Baron Sarget) and Château Gruaud-Larose-Faure (after Adrien Faure, who married the heiress to a portion of the estate).
Baron Sarget constructed the château on the property in 1875. The other half of the original vineyard remained with the Bethmann descendants. The wines were bottled and sold as both Chateau Gruaud Larose Faure and Chateau Gruaud Larose-Bethmann at different times.
The two château were reunited by the Cordier family, who purchased the Sarget piece in 1917 and the Faure piece in 1935 and the château became a centerpiece of the Cordier properties along with Château Lafaurie-Peyraguey and Château Talbot.
The Cordier family had been negotiants since 1886. They acquired the Bethmann family holding in 1935. This allowed the Cordier family to recreate the original estate and the wine was renamed Chateau Gruaud Larose.
In 1983 it was purchased by the Compagnie de Suez, and in 1993 it was sold to the French conglomerate, Alcastel Alstom. In 1997 it was sold to Jacques Merlaut who also owns a broad portfolio of Bordeaux properties including Chateau La Gurgue, Chateau Haut Bages Liberal, Chateau Citran, Chateau Ferriere and Chateau Chasse Spleen.
Château Gruaud Larose is one of the most historic estates in the Médoc dating back to 1725 when Abbot Gruaud bought just under 125 acres of land and planted vineyards. Since then, four families have succeeded one another at the head of Gruaud Larose: the Gruaud and Larose families, the Balguerie and Sarget families, the Cordier family and the Merlaut family.
In 1812, the property was sold to Pierre Balguerie, Baron Jean Auguste Sarget and David Verdonnet.
Shortly after the official 1855 Classification of the Medoc, control of the property was split further among their descendants, but remained intact until 1867 when it was split into Château Gruaud-Larose-Sarget (after the Baron Sarget) and Château Gruaud-Larose-Faure (after Adrien Faure, who married the heiress to a portion of the estate).
Baron Sarget constructed the château on the property in 1875. The other half of the original vineyard remained with the Bethmann descendants. The wines were bottled and sold as both Chateau Gruaud Larose Faure and Chateau Gruaud Larose-Bethmann at different times.
The two château were reunited by the Cordier family, who purchased the Sarget piece in 1917 and the Faure piece in 1935 and the château became a centerpiece of the Cordier properties along with Château Lafaurie-Peyraguey and Château Talbot.
The Cordier family had been negotiants since 1886. They acquired the Bethmann family holding in 1935. This allowed the Cordier family to recreate the original estate and the wine was renamed Chateau Gruaud Larose.
In 1983 it was purchased by the Compagnie de Suez, and in 1993 it was sold to the French conglomerate, Alcastel Alstom. In 1997 it was sold to Jacques Merlaut who also owns a broad portfolio of Bordeaux properties including Chateau La Gurgue, Chateau Haut Bages Liberal, Chateau Citran, Chateau Ferriere and Chateau Chasse Spleen.
The Gruaud Larose Chateau and estate sits just outside the village of St Julien-Beychevelle at the southern end of the appellation located on the plateau to the west of Château Beychevelle. on the opposite side of the D2 Route from Ducru Beaucaillou and Leoville Barton.
The vineyards of Gruaud Larose have the highest point of elevation on the Saint Julien plateau and has a distinctive 'tower' which serves visitors a vantage point to view the entire estate.
The 200 acres of vineyards are planted in the Bordeaux sanctioned varietals of Cabernet Sauvignon (65%), Merlot (25%), Cabernet Franc (8%) and Petit Verdot (2%) with old vines averaging 40 years.The vineyards are adjacent to those of Chateau Talbot and Chateau Branaire Ducru which have smaller parcels. The property is divided into 110 parcels with the best terroir found in the 2 sections that surround the chateau and that adjacent to the park.
Chateau Gruaud Larose is known for wines that are concentrated, complex, full-bodied and long-lived, best consumed after several years of aging, typically at least 12 years or more, and often reach their peak maturity and optimal drinking window after 15 years and often last 35 years or more after the vintage release.
Chateau Gruaud Larose on average produces close to 18,000 cases of Saint Julien wine each year.
The wine is fermented in stainless steel vats, and aged in oak barrels for 20-22 months, renewed annually in thirds. 35% new oak.
Pundits wrote, “You have really had to be patient for this wine, but it is utterly spellbinding, and starting to show its potential.” And, “This is one of the best wines from Gruaud-Larose for several years.”
With a similar sensation of the near perfect 100 point wine we drank recently, this is more notable for its lack of blockbuster boldness, that knocks you over with big forward fruits, or some other highlight, rather, it’s remarkable for it’s lack of excessive notes and it’s flawless, and seamless polish with it’s harmonic integration.
Medium to deep garnet-brick in color. medium to full bodied, that signature St Julien finesse, elegant, polished, finely balanced black currant, black and hints of red berry fruits with notes of herbs, dark black chocolate, cassis, black tea, truffle, hints of cedar and spice with a smooth layer of graphite and crushed rocks with firm, fine-grained tannins on a long finish.
RM 95 points.
