2000 Château Gruaud Larose, St Julien, Bordeaux

The 2000 Gruaud Larose is a vintage that I have not tasted for some ten years. It has a somehow sedate bouquet of dark red berry fruit, cola and tobacco scents, ever so slightly smudged with age. The mellow, soy-tinged palate is medium-bodied with soft tannins and fine acidity but maybe just a little sauvage on the ferrous, slightly bretty finish. I feel this had more pep several years ago.Drink 2021 - 2035Neil Martin, Vinous.com.com (September 2021)

Bright ruby. Liqueur-like aromas of roasted black raspberry, leather and grilled nuts. Lush, sweet and thick, with an almost unctuous texture and terrific volume. It is a wine of compelling sweetness and chewiness, not to mention sheer mouth-filling size. It finishes with huge, broad, sweet tannins and lingering notes of blackcurrant, coffee and leather—classic, thoroughly ripe Gruaud-Larose.There was no need to use the concentrators in 2002, said maitre de chai Philippe Carmagnac, and the estate took a light hand with the cold maceration. The wine was fermented at a slightly cooler temperature than normal, with a bit less strenuous pumping over the must, but the maceration time was long. 40% of the wine underwent its malolactic fermentation in new barriques, particularly the Cabernet.Stephen Tanzer, Vinous.com.com (May 2003)

Fully mature (yet I'd say in the early stages of its drink window), the 2000 Château Gruaud Larose offers a ripe, powerful, medium to full-bodied style as well as lots of currant and darker fruits followed by cedarwood, tobacco, iron, and assorted meaty, spicy nuances. It's a rich, almost chunky effort with a great mid-palate, still present yet ripe tannins, and an excellent finish. It lacks some of the purity and precision of today's wines yet is a satisfying, rich, impressively textured Saint-Julien to drink over the coming 15-20 years.Drink 2021 - 2041jeb_dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com (April 2021)

A very strong effort for Gruaud Larose, possibly eclipsed by what they have done in 2009, this is a pure, full-bodied Gruaud Larose with plenty of new saddle leather, cedar wood, black currants, cherries, licorice, and Provencal herbs. Spicy, earthy, full-bodied, and rich, it has hit its plateau of full maturity, where it should stay for another 20 or more years.Robert M. Parker, Jr. - 29/06/2010

Very dark, thick crimson. Lead pencils and great intensity on the nose with real interest. Hooray! Maybe the merest hint of brett stops the fruit from being super fresh. Shame because it promised much initially. Rather awkward tannins on the finish. jancis_robinson_mw - JancisRobinson.com - 23 Mar 2010