Château Gruaud Larose 2006

• Colour: Red
• Region & country: Saint-Julien, Bordeaux, France
• Body: Medium Bodied
• Maturity: Ready 2010 - 2040
• Allergens: Contains Sulphites
• ABV: 13%

Gruaud Larose's history dates back to the 18th century, when the knight Joseph Stanislas Gruaud brought together several Bordeaux vineyards into a single 116-hectare estate, Fond Bedeau. After his death the property passed to his heirs, and in 1778 his son-in-law, Joseph Sébastien de La Rose, took over management, adding his name to the estate's. In 1812, the family sold the property to settle debts, and it passed to Pierre Balguerie, Baron Jean Auguste Sarget and David Verdonnet. After Verdonnet's death the estate was split between the Sarget and Bethmann families, who ran it separately until the Cordier family, Bordeaux négociants since 1886, acquired both halves between 1917 and 1935, reuniting the property. In 1997, Jacques Merlaut, through the Taillan group, acquired Gruaud Larose.

The vineyard, roughly 82 hectares and largely planted as a single contiguous block — unusual in Bordeaux — sits at the highest point of the Saint-Julien plateau, next to Château Talbot and Château Branaire-Ducru. The soil combines gravel with quartz, clay and sand at the surface over a subsoil of sand and limestone; clay plays a more prominent role here than at any other Saint-Julien estate, lending structure and ageing potential to the wines.

As with many great Bordeaux estates, Gruaud Larose's track record has been uneven across the decades: 1961 and 1982 rank among its historic high points, with 1990 and 2000 also standing out. The 2006 vintage delivers a classically styled Saint-Julien, drinking beautifully today.