When to Drink - 1975 Gruaud Larose

I was looking through my cellar list when responding to a post on the 1972 Petrus and came across this wine that has been quietly lying there for years.

Parker has a very interesting write-up:

This massive, backward wine appears to resist aging. Still bitterly tannic, impressively-colored (dark garnet with no amber), and monstrous on the palate, this wine will either turn out like the outstanding 1928 and begin to reveal some charm and character around age 40, or it will dry out, much like the 1948. It needs another 5-10 years of cellaring. The excruciatingly painful level of tannin makes this wine an enigma. It is likely to be appreciated only by the most patient Bordeaux enthusiasts. I would not be surprised to see some wine writer touting its greatness around 2025, long after most of it had been consumed and found to be pleasureless. Owners should try not to touch a bottle before 2005.

Has anyone opened one of these in recent memory? This is one that I'd like to enjoy some day, but opening it before the tannins have died down would prove exactly as RP says - pleasureless.

Maybe I am an optimist, but the 75 Las Cases was a hard bugger and it has now at least begun to approach drinking pleasure.

[David M. Bueker]

I had the '75 Gruaud larose about 2 years ago. Not a lot of fruit in the bottle I tried. Lots of leather and tannin. Lynch Bages was the same way. Latour was magic.

From what I've read, quite a few of the 75s are like that. Rogov's own series of notes for the Mouton over the years are a fascinating read.

I organized a Gruaud vertical in early 2005. This was my note on the 1975 (one of my contributions):

1975 Ch. Gruaud-Larose (St. Julien)
Couple hours in decanter (almost Port-like sediment) before return to
bottle for trip to city. Not enough. Slightly lifted nose at first,
then just tight and tannic. Hard wine that still needs lots of time.
Debate at table whether fruit will last. I think maybe there's some nice
stuff waiting there, but I'm glad I'm not waiting- this was only
bottle I had.


I can't find a note from last year, but memory is that it was a little more giving, with leather and cedar. But don't think it'll ever be charming, though it is a good steak wine still

1975 Ch. Gruaud-Larose (St. Julien)
I think maybe there's some nice
stuff waiting there, but I'm glad I'm not waiting- this was only
bottle I had.

That probably sums it up.

I'll avoid trying to locate it in the cellar for another few years!