Château Gruaud Larose is a long-established Saint-Julien estate, classified as a Deuxième Cru Classé in 1855, and the 2004 is its Cabernet Sauvignon–led grand vin from gravelly Médoc soils. The blend is reported as 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc, and 3% Petit Verdot, with élevage of about 18 months in French oak; Jane Anson notes that in 2004 it saw “35% new oak,” alongside “extremely high yields, over 50hl/h,” and a harvest that ran “September 27 to October 19.”
In the glass, the wine shows a classic mature claret profile without losing energy. Anson’s 93-point review is an excellent score, and she calls it “a very successful 2004,” emphasizing a “clear sense of freshness and lift” and “a silky texture to the tannins.” She also flags early aromatics of “toasted caramel” and a “gourmet roundness through the mid palate,” suggesting a slightly more generous feel than some peers in this cooler, sometimes firmer vintage.
Wine & Spirits (91 points) similarly underlines Gruaud Larose’s house character, calling it “the plump richness typical of Gruaud,” with extract “fragrant with blueberry and tobacco.” The magazine reports that “the tannins are hidden behind all that fruit… softened to chocolate scents,” and projected it to drink best “around ten years from the vintage,” a window that helps explain why today’s bottles can show more harmony than they did on release.
From a more recent perspective, Lisa Perrotti-Brown at The Wine Independent (91 points) describes a “medium to deep garnet-brick” color and “classic notes of cigar box, pencil lead, preserved plums, and dried mulberries,” plus “bay leaves and damp soil.” She finds a “soft” palate with “good intensity and restraint,” finishing with “a refreshing burst of spiciness.” Overall, 2004 Gruaud Larose reads as a balanced, traditionally styled Saint-Julien with polished texture and mature complexity.
