Chateau Gruaud Larose
As one of the oldest wineries deriving from Saint Julien, Château Gruaud-Larose is classified as a 2ème Cru Classé Estate according to the 1855 Bordeaux Classification. One of the most regarded vintages from this winery is the Château Gruaud-Larose 1986, a gorgeous and very representative Medoc wine. Château Gruaud-Larose also produces a second wine named Sarget de Gruaud Larose, which is considered as the competitive priced counterpart of the winery’s flag ship Château Gruaud-Larose wine.
Château Gruaud Larose was established by Joseph Gruaud in 1757, as the result merging three separate estates. Two decades later he sold the estate to his relative, Joseph Sébastien Larose, after which both surnames merged as Gruaud-Larose. After Larose’s passing in 1795 the property was sold by his relatives to a négociant company, who in 1845 divided the estate in two separate vineyards: Gruaud-Larose-Sarget and Gruaud-Larose-Faure, but despite fort this drastic decision the wines deriving from these estates turned out to be identical.
After the Gruaud-Larose estates were acquired by Désiré Cordier in the early 19th century, both vineyards again merged and were managed as one unit. The following decades Château Gruaud-Larose changed ownership two times, after which the property was acquired in 1997 by Groupe Taillan, the family business of the Merlaut family. Groupe Taillan already owned numerous Bordeaux wine estates and remained the owner of Château Gruaud-Larose until this day.
The Château Gruaud-Larose property covers approximately 83 hectares of land, containing mainly Cabernet Sauvignon and a smaller amount of Petit Verdot, Merlot and Cabernet Franc vines. The soils are gravel and sand with calcareous marl and a subsoil of clay. The grapes are nourished without the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. After a fermentation process in thermo-regulated tanks consisting of concrete and wood, the wine is matured in oak casks for 18 months.
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