I've always loved this wine. In the past I have found it combines the beautiful opulence of old Gruaud-Larose with the structure of the vintage. Most recently a bottle in February 2023 was loaded with sweet red cherry notes and rose petals. Surprisingly delicate. Not as structured as many ‘86s. Fine powdery tannin. Lovely freshness that opened beautifully in the glass. There is a touch of grip on the finish that would lend well to robust dishes but that is more than to be expected from the vintage. A great Gruaud.

Still remarkably youthful, my most recent bottle of the 1986 Gruaud Larose exhibited an impressively opaque hue, followed by aromas of blackcurrants, cigar ash, loamy soil, pencil shavings and subtle hints of smoked meats. Full-bodied, deep and concentrated, it's a rich but tightly wound wine, with a deep core of fruit, lively acids and an abundance of powdery structuring tannin. Incredible as it may seem, it's comparatively advanced bottles of this 1986 that are drinking best today, as pristinely stored examples with perfect corks are still almost painfully youthful. - William Kelley