Tasted at The Ledbury Gruaud Larose lunch, the 1985 is a lovely Saint Julien although it is not quite as convincing as it was five or six years ago. It is still remarkably tight on the nose and it takes ten or fifteen minutes to unwind. It blossoms nicely with tertiary aromas, cloves, brown sugar and sage. The palate is medium-bodied with a touch of brettanomyces perhaps. I like the acidity here that seems completely in synch with the fruit, touches of rosemary and dried blood inflecting the decayed red fruits with a long, languorous finish. Lovely. A point.

Fully mature, the seductive nose offers hints of truffle, tobacco, spice box, licorice, blackberry, cedar wood and smoke. Smooth and round with a little dust in the tannins, the wine ends with a sweet and sour cherry finish. Read more at:https://www.thewinecellarinsider.com/wine-tasting-note/?vintage=1985&wine=Chateau%20Gruaud%20Larose

Fully mature, the dark garnet-colored 1985 exhibits notes of tapenade, earth, sweet berry and black currant fruit, and possibly a hint of black truffles. The wine is lush, medium to full-bodied, and fleshy, with no hard edges. Sweet fruit, plenty of glycerin, and a very seductive style make for a very sumptuous, complex, fully mature Gruaud-Larose. Anticipated maturity: Now-2008. Last tasted, 8/02. - RP

Medium-deep ruby-red, with only a hint of amber at the rim. Straightforward nose offers hints of redcurrant, orange zest, clove and faded flowers, but this is less complex and deep than the 1983 or 1986. The floral quality gains with aeration, becoming fresher and more perfumed. Smooth and suave on entry, with delicate, pure red berry, orange, spice and cedar flavors, then a tad chunky on the back half. This Gruaud seems to lack a little concentration and refinement, but I like its sweetness and fleshy texture. A very good food wine that's drinking beautifully right now and won't gain much by further aging.