Tasted at Bordeaux Index's annual 10-Year On tasting in London. The 2006 Chateau Gruaud Larose can be a divisive wine. At ten years of age, it shows some inertia on the nose: sultry blackberry and briary fruit, nicely defined but lacking what I call "flow." The palate is medium-bodied with dusty tannin, rather rustic red berry fruit laced with sandalwood and tar, fading a little towards the soft, easy-going finish. Not bad...but I have encountered many superior wines from this Saint Julien estate. Tasted January 2016.

The significant rainfall during late September clearly had a noticeable impact on this 2006, which perhaps lacks “selection” as the French say. There is an element of dilution in this cuvee, and I would never recognize it as a Gruaud Larose except for the label. Dark ruby with a light pink rim, the wine is medium-bodied, soft, and round revealing roasted herb, sweet cherry, and currant flavors. For its prestige and pedigree, it is one of the most disappointing St.-Juliens I tasted.