Wine of the Month June 2006

                                Chateau Gruaud Larose 1996
                             St. Julien (Bordeaux), Grand Cru

   I keep hearing it from everyone over and over.  I tell all my friends and co-workers how much I like Bordeaux, yet there has not been a wine of the week/wine of the month from Bordeaux all year.  So what's the story?  Well, quite simply, the featured wines of the month are wines that are ready to drink now that anyone can buy at one of our local merchants.  Although I love Bordeaux, most of them are not ready to drink until 10 years or more after the vintage.  They hit the store shelves 3 years after the vintage, and if you buy them, you have to cellar them under proper temperature, light and humidity for another 7-10 years before drinking them.  If you can find a good one for sale properly aged, the price is usually too high for most wine lovers to afford.  If it is affordable, there is usually a catch:  either it's from a terrible vintage, it hasn't been cellared properly, or it's from a mediocre producer.

The 1996 Gruaud Larose is clearly deserving of the wine of the week, and a breath of fresh air for those who want to indulge in good Bordeaux without spending 100 plus dollars per bottle.  1996 was considered by many to be the best vintage in Bordeaux between 1991 and 1999.  The town of St. Julien is one of the premier districts within Bordeaux.  Chateau Gruaud Larose is one of the most respected wineries in Bordeaux, and received 2nd Grand Cru status in the 1855 Classification of Bordeaux.  The wine is available at the Wine Connection in Del Mar for anyone who wants to buy a bottle.  So what more could you ask for?

The 1996 Gruaud Larose exhibits an inky dark purple color.  Despite 10 years of ageing, the bouquet was beautiful immediately upon pulling the cork.  The bouquet took on additional complexity over the next 20 minutes.  The nose is characterized by crushed black fruits, anise, wet earth, cedar, and smoked game.  The palate is saturated with black currants, cherries, and subtle Provencal herbs.  The fruit is still quite strong, and shows no indication of pre-mature fruit-fade over the next 5+ years.  There is well concealed but abundant sweet tannin on the finish that lasts for at least 30 seconds. 
The wine is a typical St. Julien blend of primarily cabernet sauvignon, moderate merlot, and trace quantitites of cabernet franc, merlot and malbec for added complexity.

This is an elegant Bordeaux wine which has reached an early maturity by Bordeaux standards.  It should last another 10 years for those who wish to cellar it, but it will be hard to resist drinking it sooner.  It's not every day that one finds a well cared for 10 year old St. Julien Bordeaux from a 2nd Grand Cru winery with a reputation as solid at Gruaud Larose for this price.  The bottle I purchased was in perfect condition, with a pristine cork, so I assume the whole lot they have for sale has been equally well cared for.

4+ stars.

The wine was purchased for $49.99 at the Wine Connection in Del Mar.

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