Château Gruaud Larose 2015
Château Gruaud Larose 2015
2015 marked the beginning of a golden run at Gruaud Larose — critics list 2015 through 2020 among the estate's finest modern vintages, and this bottle shows why. Rated 93 points in critic aggregate, from a Saint-Julien vintage widely celebrated as one of the best of the decade.
The growing season reads like a wine-maker's wish list: perfect flowering, a hot dry July, and beautiful early-September weather that carried a perfectly ripe harvest through to picking. What's less widely known is how this wine is farmed — the entire 82-hectare estate is worked to organic and biodynamic principles, hand-harvested, and double-sorted, with vines averaging 46 years old rooted in Garonne gravel laid down 600,000 years ago.
Blackcurrant, red cherry and plum lead into layers of tea leaf, pencil shavings and leather — complex, harmonious and drinking beautifully now, no decade of patience required. This is the sweet spot every wine buyer hunts for: a historic Second Growth, a great vintage, and a ready-to-drink window all in the same bottle. Impressive enough for a celebration, priced sensibly enough to open because it's Friday.
At the table: Grilled steak, roast lamb, duck, hard cheeses. Built for the classic French table and everything adjacent to it.
- Saint-Julien, Bordeaux · 2ème Grand Cru Classé, 1855
- Grape: Cabernet Sauvignon 60%, Merlot 31%, Cabernet Franc 9%
- Farming: 100% organic and biodynamic · hand-harvested
- Ageing: 18–24 months in French fine-grain oak, 80% new
- Alcohol: 13.15% · Vines: 46 years average age
- Rating: 93/100 critic aggregate · a top modern vintage for the estate
- Drink: now through 2035
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Sommelier's Note
The 2015 Château Gruaud Larose captures the sweet spot every buyer hunts for: a historic Second Growth, a celebrated vintage, and a drinking window that is open right now. Blackcurrant and red cherry lead into tea leaf, pencil shavings and leather — complex enough for a celebration steak or roast lamb, sensible enough to open because it's Friday.
Tasting Notes & Specs
Blackcurrant, red cherry and plum over layers of tea leaf, pencil shavings and leather. Complex and harmonious. Total acidity 3.35.
Vintage2015
Classification2ème Grand Cru Classé, 1855
BodyFull-bodied
TanninsRipe, Harmonious, Refined
Key AromasBlackcurrant, Red Cherry, Tea Leaf, Pencil Shavings, and Leather
Blend & Terroir
Varietal BlendCabernet Sauvignon 60%, Merlot 31%, Cabernet Franc 9%
Alcohol13.15% ABV
Oak Aging18-24 months in French oak, 80% new
TerroirGaronne gravel settled 600,000 years ago; vines averaging 46 years, farmed organically and biodynamically.
ViticultureOrganic and Biodynamic
Serving & Care
Serving TemperatureBest served slightly cool at 16°C–18°C (60°F–65°F)
DecantingDecant 45–60 minutes; drinking beautifully now.
Drinking WindowAt peak maturity now through 2035. Store horizontally in a dark, temperature-controlled environment.
Ideal Pairings
Grilled steak, Roast lamb, Duck, Hard cheeses.
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About the Brand
The Estate: 'The wine of kings, the king of wines' — Château Gruaud Larose has carried that motto since the eighteenth century. The 2015 opened a golden run of vintages; the entire estate is farmed organically and biodynamically, hand-harvested, with 80% new oak for this year.
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