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Jeb Dunnuck: Crème de cassis and black raspberry fruits intermixed with spring flowers, graphite, tobacco leaf, and spicy wood all emerge from the 2025 Château Gruaud Larose, a deep purple-hued Saint-Julien based on 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Merlot, and 2% Cabernet Franc that's resting in 80% new French oak. This beauty stopped me in my tracks with its sheer class and purity. Full-bodied on the palate, it has a layered, graceful mouthfeel, gorgeous tannins, and a great finish, all grounded by a remarkable sense of balance and elegance. It checks in at 13.47% alcohol with a pH of 3.71. This is a heavenly Saint-Julien that brings the richness of the vintage alongside an unmistakable sense of class. Bravo!"
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Falstaff: Tiefdunkles Rubingranat, opaker, fast tintiger Kern, violette Reflexe, zarte Randaufhellung. Noten von Lakritze und Hibiskus, Anklänge von Cassis, dunkle Waldbeeren, feine Kräuterwürze, etwas Edelholz. Straff, komplex und elegant, pure schwarze Waldbeeren, seidige Tannine, mineralisch-salzig, sehr gute Länge und Frische, bleibt sehr gut haften, verfügt über sicheres Reifepotenzial."
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Vinum: Das 300jährige Jubiläum hätte vom Jahrgang her nicht besser fallen können: Tief, nobel, zurückhaltend, komplex; schwarze Frucht, Pfeffer, Blaubeeren, das Holz diskret im Hintergrund; am Gaumen kräftig, muskulös, knackige Frucht, viel Tannin, dieses ist von höchster Güte, stets präsent, nie überbordend, der Wein zeigt Struktur, Dichte und Konzentration, bleibt dabei sehr elegant, eine eiserne Faust im Samthandschuh, wild, dabei mit Fokus; im Abgang sehr langanhaltend, rotfruchtig und frisch. Darf, muss, wird reifen. Grosse Klasse."
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Decanter: Such scented notes on the nose, more like a sultry summer’s evening with jasmine, lavender, violets, peonies and deep, heady blackcurrants alongside tobacco, liquorice and clove. Supple and so wonderfully textured - grippy but finely placed with an almost crushed stone aspect but this really holds the juiciness such a long time - strawberry and raspberry, crunchy cranberry, with a persistence and energetic finish. What a wine. Silky, almost a delicate touch here where there’s such precision yet still at the same time there’s concentration and intensity. 11% press wine (all from Cabernet). 3.71pH. A yield of 26hl/ha. 50% grand vin production."
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Lisa Perrotti-Brown: Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2025 Gruaud Larose prances out of the glass with opulent notes of warm cassis, black cherries, and red currant jelly, followed by hints of sandalwood, rose oil, pencil shavings, and forest floor. The medium-bodied palate is elegant yet intense with super fine-grained tannins and a lively line, finishing long and perfumed. Stunning! The blend is 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Merlot, and 2% Cabernet Franc. It has a pH of 3.71 and the alcohol is 13.47%."
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Jane Anson: You get the tannic grip of the vintage in spades, but as you sit with the wine, a creaminess appears through the mid palate that is highly appealing, with a cocoa bean and espresso lick alongside berry fruits, crayon and graphite. Smoky signoff on the finish right now, will integrate over ageing, a ton of potential here, great quality. 75% new oak. Virginie Sallette 8th vintage, a lovely expression of Gruaud. Harvest September 3 to 20. 3.71 pH"
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Wine Advocate: Unwinding in the glass with notes of dark berries, cassis, plums mingled with hints of violet and pencil shavings, the 2025 Gruaud Larose is medium- to full-bodied, supple and suave, with a deep core of fruit, lovely energy and ripe, powdery tannins. Checking in at 13.5% alcohol, this blend of 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc will bear a special gold label to commemorate the estate's 300th anniversary."
