Do you think Gruaud Larose has recovered its stature?

[AKR]

I have not tasted recent vintages so am a little at a loss of thinking how the newer efforts are.

[JimHow]

Better question:

Did it ever LOSE its stature?

[Nicklasss]

Exactly like Jim. Gruaud never lost anything. It always have been a great robust St-Julien, classical style. Never change to the superripe tasty velvety lush fruit style.

But a good question anyway, as wine is not a perfect thing, and sometime drive by perception of it.

Is there a great Bordeaux who "lost" or "recoverd" it status? I will think about it a bit longer...

Nic

[Blanquito]

For me, Gruaud definitely lost something, but it started early with the 89 vintage which is a shadow of the rest of GL in the 80’s. I’ve only had it once but the 1990 is a dud too (it was a pristine bottle a few years ago). The 95 and 96 let me down.

Part of the issue is how much I love Gruaud from 81-86. I’ve had a number of older vintages pre 1980 that have also been excellent.

When Jim talks about the fall of GPL, I often think of Gruaud.

[Chateau Vin]

I am in the camp of Blanquito. 80s were the golden age for Gruaud...90s and 00s were not consistent, but nonetheless were not that bad, but I would say it lost its mojo. I thought 09 was great, and my expectations were not met in 10, considering the vintage...Don't know much about later than 2010 vintage...

[AKR]

For me, Gruaud definitely lost something, but it started early with the 89 vintage which is a shadow of the rest of GL in the 80’s. I’ve only had it once but the 1990 is a dud too (it was a pristine bottle a few years ago). The 95 and 96 let me down.

I've had the 1990 and 2000 a lot and those were real winners, but efforts in between were not as good as peers, although a 1995 recently was surprisingly good (to me, others didn't think so).

I wonder more about the post 2003's. I'm not sure I've tasted anything since then.

[Blanquito]

I own one bottle of the 2000 but I’ve never had it. Everyone seems to like that vintage of GL though.

I really think for me that main issue is how much I love GL from 81-88, it’s one of my favorite wines in the world during that run. A golden age indeed.

But the same could be said about all of the Cordier wines around that time — epic in that stretch in the 80’s, then a let down in subsequent years. Chateau Gruaud Larose, Talbot, Meyney, Cantemerle, Lafaurie-Peyraguey, etc. All so amazing in the 80’s.

[Carlos Delpin]

Sounds like a great idea for a tasting. 4 vintages from the 80’s, the 90’s, and the 2000’s. Blind.

[JimHow]

Yes, let's do a blind tasting between Gruaud and GPL during those time periods entitled:
"A Blind Tasting of Multiple Vintages of Gruaud Larose and Grand Puy Lacoste: Has a great St. Julien estate been defamed by Robert Parker in the past generation?"

It can be a part of the series of tastings entitled:
"Did We Lose a Generation of Bordeaux Because of Robert Parker?"

[Carlos Delpin]

Jim, count me in!

[Ognik]

Hey Jim..... what about 70s decade bordeaux ante Parker? Do you like any?
Parker was one of the few who recognised gl 82 beauty? So what.

[Comte Flaneur]

Not for the first time I agree with Patrick. I think Gruaud was a match for Pichon Lalande in that 1981-88 period. I wish I had more left. The 1986 always shows well against its contemporaries. Three estates that punched above their weight in 1986 were Rauzan-Segla, Talbot and Gruaud. Whenever they have been matched up the Gruaud always comes out ahead. The 1983, 1985 and 1988 are brilliant wines in the context of their respective vintages.

The few times I have encountered 1989 or 1990 they have underwhelmed. I think the estate tried to move towards a more elegant style and it didn't work. The 1996 I think was a return to form, judging by a bottle I had two years ago. It is just coming into its drinking window. I have had limited albeit mixed experiences with vintages after that but the 2010 hit the jackpot.

So the answer to the question is probably yes.

[Claudius2]

Folks,
I must be getting old.
I recall writing about GL sometime around 20 years ago, after a similar post.

I do have some inside info as the sister of an old friend married into the Cordier family some decades ago.
She went to study in Paris and one of the Cordier family was there at the same time. These things happen I suppose.

Anyway, GL was sold to some investment group (part of Alcatel) in 1993.
If you can recall, the early 90's were a disaster for Bordeaux in any case, with three bad vintages (91, 92, 93) which had affected the company's cash position.
I think that the lack of attention to the estate by Cordier and the usual change of direction by the new investor explain below second growth quality for a while.

I regularly bought GL from previous vintages, and happily picked it up quite cheaply at auctions in Australia during this period, the Australian economy being in recession from about 1990 to 1995.
I have a case of the 2005, not tried yet, but stopped buying it for some time after the 1990 vintage.
I have not tried the 1989, but the 80's were generally pretty good for GL, and it was never a fruit bomb wine.
I would say however that most vintages of GL show some degree of VA and occasionally Brettanomyces.
But I am possibly more sensitive to them than others.

I drank a 1976 earlier this year that however was surprisingly fresh, but GL tends to have a distinctly inky, leathery, nose, with a touch of Balsamic vinegar and tobacco.

So getting to the point, I DO think that during the 90's, GL wasn't at its best, thus I will have to pull a 2005 out of the wine fridge soon as a sacrifice to the wine gods.

[AKR]

I was surprised to get an offer on the 2015 from Rimmerman this week for $60

[robertgoulet]

2000....big thumbs up

[stefan]

I hoped to get a 1986 at auction this week but felt that the $180 price it went for was too high.

[Claudius2]

Stefan,
I think that price is just too high.
I have tried this wine some years ago and it is a very good wine, but maybe a better strategy is to pick up Bordeaux fro more recent vintages (e.g,, 2000 and 2005) which can (surprisingly) be had for reasonable prices.

[stefan]

I agree, Mark, although I want some older bottles for drinking this fall while away from home. My last ones were 1983 Ducru-Beaucaillou for $143.55 and 3 bottles of 1983 La Lagune for $57.50 each.

[Claudius2]

Stefan
Sorry for the delay in responding - have been OS. Bit sunburnt from a few weeks in Thailand.

The 83 La Lagune was excellent a decade or so ago. It is better than the 82, which I drank alongside the 83 on more than one occasion.
Those were the days when nice Bordeaux were affordable...

I bought the 82 and 83 in the 90's for about $A25 a bottle, and they are true Bordeaux.

[stefan]

Interesting, Mark. I have drunk some amazing bottles of 1982, the best being decidedly better than the best 1983, which I also liked a lot. 1981-1990 was a great period for La Lagune, not that it was shabby before or after that range.