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Château Gruaud Larose 2023
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Château Gruaud-Larose
"The wine of kings, the king of wines" is the motto that adorns the label of Château Gruaud Larose, one of the finest wines in the Saint-Julien appellation. Founded by Abbé Gruaud in 1725, in 1781 he bequeathed it to his nephew, Chevalier de Larose, who gave it his name.
Gained the title of Second Grand Cru Classé in 1855, it has been owned by the Merlaut family since 1997. The 82-hectare vineyard is planted on deep Garonne gravel outcrops, and is planted with 61% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot. This type of terroir is ideal for producing wonderful Cabernet Sauvignon.
The Sarget de Gruaud Larose is the Second wine of the Domaine, vinified with the same care.
The wines of Château Gruaud Larose are noble, racy and complex, allowing fruit and finesse to express themselves, confirming its Second status.
Critics Château Gruaud Larose 2023.
Description Château Gruaud Larose 2023.
CLIMATE
A warm autumn Sec gave way to a winter close to normal.
At the end of March, the early budburst of the first Merlot plots exposed them to an episode of spring frost at the beginning of April, which had no effect on the yields of a high-potential vintage.
Frequent rainfall, high hygrometry and mild nights from April to mid-June generated high mildew pressure, echoing conditions in 2018 and 2021.
The energy deployed by all our winegrowers to quickly get to the end of the green work and the strong mobilization of our tractor operators during this period enabled us to contain the epidemic.
Through these episodes, fine weather windows enabled flowering and fruit set to proceed smoothly, while rain had the advantage of swelling the numerous berries in formation.
By the end of July, veraison was almost complete, and ripening progressed slowly during a summer punctuated by numerous rainy spells of relatively low total rainfall.
The arrival of a heat wave at the end of August will define the harvest strategy:
- Start harvesting the earliest-ripening Merlots and young vines affected by water stress
- Delay picking of the older Cabernet Sauvignon vines.
They will benefit from this warm end of season to concentrate and polish their tannins, while preserving their freshness.
The keys to this vintage were fighting mildew, controlling yields and achieving full ripeness in the old Cabernet vines on the noblest terroirs.
Vineyard management
The vineyard is managed using agronomic methods that respect the environment
production has been certified Organic since August 2022, and Biodynamic principles are applied.
We are giving back to our land its letters of nobility by placing Life at the center of our reflections: hedges and forests are replanted and redraw the lines of our parcels. During the winter, the plant cover is eco-grazed by a flock of 300 ewes. From spring to harvest, a light ploughing is applied to the inter-weeds to keep them clean. Restoring balance to our ecosystem is one of the keys to giving free rein to the expression of our terroir.
In addition to traditional work, prophylactic measures, organic fertilization and plant cover are applied specifically to intra-parcel areas to express their full potential.
In-depth restructuring of the vineyard is underway, with the aim of achieving the estate's full potential in the coming decades. Cabernets dominate the gravel terraces, surrounded by Merlot on the lower slopes where pebbles mix with silt, clay and sand.
The living at the heart of our daily life - Certified Organic since August 2022
Le Domaine
. Owned by Jean Merlaut's family since 1997, the 82-hectare single vineyard is identical to that of the 1855 classification
. The terroir is a plateau made up of 80% Quaternary Günzian gravel, deposited over 600,000 years ago
. The vineyard has been restructured over the past 15 years to optimize the grape variety/terroir combination
. Wine tourism center overlooking the vineyard and Gironde estuary
In the vineyard, fostering a sustainable ecosystem
. Agro-ecology with planting of hedges and Miyawaki micro-forests. Eco-pasturing with 300 ewes raised on the property
. Biodynamic practices
. 4 beehives reinforce animal and plant biodiversity
In the cellar, precision and the quest for excellence
. Parcel-by-parcel and intra-parcel selection
. Manual harvest with 4 levels of sorting (including 1 by optical system) . Vinification in 50hL to 130hL truncated wooden vats
. Aged 18 months, 95% in new barrels, 100% French oak
Château Gruaud Larose, the expression of purity
. Intense garnet hue
. Rich, complex nose of black fruit, enhanced by notes of cedar and menthol
. Graceful, with a full attack, seductive with its powerful structure and delicate texture, this is a bewitching wine with great persistence.
Harvest: September 11 to October 3, 2023