Château Gruaud-Larose

The winery is located in the commune of Saint-Julien or the area of the same name in the Médoc (Bordeaux). Its origins date back to 1757, when the Bordeaux winemaker Gruaud combined several small plots of land and named the estate Château Gruaud. His nephew Sébastien Larose added his name. After his death, the estate was divided into two vineyards, Château Gruaud-Larose-Sarget and Château Gruaud-Larose-Faure. In 1917 they were acquired by the Cordier wine trading company, which merged again in 1934. The estate was then sold to the Alcatel Alsthom group in 1993, but Cordier retained responsibility for production and distribution. Finally, the Bernard Taillan Group took over ownership in 1997. In the 1855 Bordeaux classification, the estate was awarded second place (Deuxième Cru Classé). The vineyards cover 83 hectares and are planted with Cabernet Sauvignon (57%), Merlot (30%), Cabernet Franc (7%), Petit Verdot (4%) and Malbec (2%). This extremely long-lasting red wine is aged for 16 to 18 months in barriques that are one third new. It is counted among the so-called "super-seconds" because it would actually deserve the first rank (Premier Cru Classé). The second wine is called "Sarget du Gruaud-Larose".