Chateau Laroque Grand Cru Classe, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru

Flowers, crushed rocks, chocolate, smoke, orange rind, and spice create the complex set of aromatics. The palate is equally complex with its layers of lush, polished, sweet, pure, red fruits with their edge of sea-salt. Concentrated, vibrant, and elegant, there is depth and a slightly racy character providing length and complexity on the mid-palate, and in the finish. The wine was made with 99% Merlot and 1% Cabernet Franc. Drink from 2028-2042.

2023 vintage

Johannisbeeren, Sauerkirschen, florale und zitrische Noten im Duft, kalkiger Ausdruck; am Gaumen gradlinig, strukturiert, die knackige Frucht wird von geschliffenen Gerbstoffen gestützt, die Säure verleiht Frische und Trinkfluss; gewohnt elegant, mit roten Johannisbeeren und Sauerkirschen im Finale, hinterlässt ein salziges Finale. Ein eleganter Wein, der sein Kalkterroir eindrücklich spiegelt. Trinken von 2030 bis 2055 95 vvPunkte

2023 vintage

This is very solid and for around $50 CAD which is what I paid for it, it certainly is a great QPR. Certainly will not reach 96 which Jeff thinks it will. Montlandrie 2022 from last week was in my opinion a much more complete wine. I have a couple more so will see how they develop, don't get me wrong, the wine is very good, just certain critics got a little too excited. This certainly shows the limestone soil …

2020 vintage

More than a year since my last bottle.....James nailed it! I started in on this one early at 3 hours of decant....enjoyed it through dinner with a grilled ribeye at 4 hours of air and am finishing it now at hours 5-6. Carol, on the other hand was requesting her bottle of BCellars Bourn that she was gifted by you know who......separate note to follow on that one. This wine really blossoms with a minimum of 4 hours decant and …

2020 vintage

0.375. 14.5. 94/95. Has typical aromas of chocolatey blackberries, chalk, flowers and mulberries+veggie hints. Its medium to full bodied solid dusty chalky black +forest fruits+plums palate has fantastic taut depth and layered midpalate, with nice freshness and excellent length with gripping unagressive food friendly tannin. Needs a 3-4 hr decant and then is ready to go. Lay down 10-25 years+ or drink now with Carnivore food like Gulasch/Roast Beef done rare or a nice rare sirloin steak done rare in …

2020 vintage

Lots of acid. Good aging potential. Alcohol, cherry, red currant. Good with a fatty rib eye, cuts the fat nicely. Has a good 7-10 years + aging potential

2020 vintage

Less expressive than last time. Still too young. Potential. 91+

2020 vintage

Very juicy fruits. Maybe some minerality. Nice grippy tannins. Enjoyed, but not blowing me away right now.

2020 vintage

Stabbed with the Coravin. Writing this note about 1:40 after pouring; definitely needs air. Dark, brooding garnet. Plush, plummy nose intermingled with cherries, some bacon fat, a dusty element, and herbaceous elements, as others have noted. Mouthcoating palate and nice fruit density finishing with fine yet persistent tannins. Much to like here, but need to wait a couple of years before trying again.

2020 vintage

Powerful ripe fruit on the nose. Super dry and high tannins in the mouth. Plenty of good structure, but it's just too young to enjoy currently. Everything is just a little too much. The wine lacks a bit of elegance and personality in my opinion. I'm sure this will be much improved in 5+ years

2020 vintage

Needs minimum 4 hours of air to get rid of greenish, herbal and leafy (tomato leaf ?) notes and for black and red fruits to start emerging. Very nice, vibrant and balanced right bank with depth rarely encountered for this money (32 € ). Relatively soft and grippy tannins. Nutty and smokey (but in a very pleasant way) medium long closure clearly shows ageing potential. If it does not go in closed (and mineral) stage it will be a real …

2020 vintage

A beautiful promise to the future. Based on tasting notes I decanted it 2 hours where it already started providing an elegant fruity nose. However, it was still too young with astringent body. I could see it easily at 94pt but for the current price of 42€ I probably prefer the 19/20 Dauzac which is incredible and already in the right spot. 92pt

2020 vintage

(93+) Big perfume. Lush, rich, creamy licorice, smoked red, blue & black fruit. Very ripe, with great balance. Hints of pomegranate, Turkish coffee, smoky BBQ sauce & limestone/clay minerality. Pretty oak & ripe/rich grape tannins melded. Good acidity. Med/med+ intensity. Very nice QPR.

2020 vintage

Glad I have 2 more of these.

2020 vintage

This is a hearty Bordeaux. Dry full bodied blackberry forward with darker currant depth on palate. Earthy notes (tobacco?) give complexity to the wine. Long lingering flavors on the finish

2020 vintage

Plush and polished, with delicious plums and leather characters underpinned by ripe tannins. Fresh and well-integrated this disguised the weight of alcohol well developing mocha on a super finish. Voluptuous! CHP 91 pts

2020 vintage

Woody (as opposed to cedary). Orange spice, mulled spice. Edit: revisited 3/2025, a very different experience this time. Much fresher, integrated oak, concentrated and complex. Must have had an off bottle (or an off day). This is quite good.

2020 vintage

Deep, ruby appearance. Medium+ nose of black plum, cassis, vanilla, sweet spice, licorice. High acid, medium + ripe tannin, full bodied, medium+ flavour intensity. Long finish with a saline, mineral aspect combining with tangy fruit. Outstanding. Excellent balance between fruit and savoury complexity with an addictive, distinctive profile. I think this is one of those wines that will drink well throughout it's life but will try to hang on to some to see how it improves from here.

2020 vintage

Gorgeous ruby color. Aromas as it warms of blueberries, cherry, wet stone, violet and wood spices. The palate is young and shows some tannin and acidity but not overwhelmingly so. Will definitely improve and integrate further with time but I had to try one young and maybe snatch more up while I can at the low $30’s range!

2020 vintage

Second bottle in a week. I wanted to see if the first bottle overperformed, or not. I think it did. Notes pretty much the same as the last bottle, however. This one drinking maybe one point less at its peak tonight between 2-4 hours. It requires one to find the best spot, today was at 3+ hours of air. Sitting here finishing the bottle after 6 hours of air, now. Still good weight in the mouth but very primary fruit. …

2020 vintage

Decanted shortly before dinner. An hour in the decanter might have been better. Modern style, in a good way. Plenty of ripe fruit. Fine nose of black and red fruit, especially plums. Palate not quite as strong as nose. Finish a little sweet. Wonderful value under $40.

2020 vintage

My 1st bottle of a case bought back in '22 for $31/bottle. Mostly Merlot, a little dollop of Cab Franc. Pnp'd into a decanter for leftovers tonight of sliced grilled prime ribeye, sauteed peppers and onions and brussels sprouts ala Coopershawk. Darkest of electric ruby red in the glass. Initial taste of tart red fruit, somewhat thin in the mouth. No barnyard on the nose to speak of. Flash forward 2-4 hours and boy....does it improve. Tart is gone and …

2020 vintage

Tart cherries (fooled me into thinking it was a Bolgheri super tuscan in a blind tasting), fresh acidity, fine tannins, medium finish, red berries, medium body. Delicious...would be great with acidic Italian food. Highly recommend and will buy again. EDIT (7/6/2024): Really enjoying this...concentrated and opulent like a Pomerol, but distinctly a St. Emilion in aromatics on the nose. Will be a regular purchase going forward. 7/11/2024: Tried it back to back with the 2019 Chateau Tour Saint Christophe and …

2020 vintage

Juicy and tannic. Needs more time to soften.

2020 vintage

There is a superb intensity to every element of this energetic and alluring grape liquid...it draws you in like siren leads a wary sailor but instead of doom it leaves you reinvigorated with the memory of friendship and laughter. Apparently there are succulent blue fruits on the palate, becoming herbal and graphite tones and finishing with a flourish of crunchy freshness.... it agrees with most mouths. I would say it is a towering success and a testament to the power …

2023 vintage

Toujours un achat prioritaire, pour le gigot du dimanche en famille, sans se ruiner

2023 vintage

Very good wine but nothing to see with the fabulous 2021 and the beautifull 2022. but allways a great QPR

2023 vintage

Deeply colored, the wine opens with a strong, marine influence before you get to the flowers, licorice, red berries, and spice. The palate displays a medium-bodied, energetic core of spicy, fresh, sweet, ripe, salty, red fruits. Elegant in nature, there is a vibrant, almost, racy character to the fruits. This is a refined, charmer that leaves you with sweetness, spice, and ample purity in the salt-edged, red fruits that remain with you, from start to finish. The wine was made …

2023 vintage

94-96 Punkte. Seit einigen Jahren auf bestem Weg, sich an der Spitze der Appellation zu etablieren; steinig-kühler Ausdruck, intensive Frucht, florale Noten, rote Früchte, Rhabarber; am Gaumen mit knackiger Frucht, geschliffenes Tannin, ungemein delikat, grosse Harmonie; der Wein hat Struktur, zeigt Druck, bleibt elegant; hervorragende Länge, endet salzig, das kalkige Terroir spricht Bände. Must Buy! (En Primeur Tasting April 2024, 14 Alkohol)

2023 vintage

Slightly strict and greenish.. Not as juicy, ripe and polished as expected..

2023 vintage

Medium ruby colour Med+ intensity on nose with primary aromas of red fruit (red plum), black fruit (blackberry, plum). Secondary aromas of oak (cedar, spice, vanilla). Youthful. High acidity, high structured tannins, high alcohol, full body. Med+ intensity palate of blackfruit (blackberry, plum), herbaceous (tomato leaf). Secondary of cloves. Some tertiary starting. Long length. Good balance, great intensity and some complexity. Very good. Can drink now, but has potential for ageing.

2020 vintage

90-91

2020 vintage

St.Emilion Grand Cru Classée values tasting : Both the 2019 and 2020 felt as they were picked too late with rum pot, plum and prune aromas.

2020 vintage

Well aged, great BB. In ‘93 it costed 15 euro

1990 vintage

Note: I use the recommended scale, so 85 represents a very good wine. Pulled this out of the cellar and decanted for about 1 hr. -- this made a difference. Even with this, it opened up through bottle. Very well-balanced, classic Bdx profile. At one point I was sitting and drinking this and I said to myself "This is truly a fine bottle," hence the magical 90.

2000 vintage

Much-weakened cork that was ready to split in two, happily dealt with by the Durand. This wine showed younger and less mellow than the bottle I drank around a year ago, although certainly ready to drink. Menthol, ash, undergrowth and truffle on the nose, with the menthol continuing onto the palate and joined by juicy framboise, more ash and a keen line of acidity. Lingering, bright-fruited finish. Had more than enough bite and body to stand up to a beef …

1985 vintage

Drinkable after several hours but nothing to encourage getting more. Missing the depth and lingering on palate. On the lower end of the 2000 year vintage

2000 vintage

Decent cork, and wine obviously sound although rather whiffy for the first 15 or so minutes. Still very dark and hadn't thrown much sediment. Plenty of fruit left, but it's oh so mellow, and unsurprisingly there's a gamey edge to the experience. Sweet and delicious. Somewhat short finish, but that's OK - this still exceeded expectations (£20!)

1985 vintage

Medium to dark garnet in colour. Red and dark fruit, cherry, blackberry, leather, tobacco, spices and a hint of mint, with lively acidity, mostly resolved tannin and good length. This classic, medium-bodied, medium-complex Bordeaux has aged well. In a good place.

1985 vintage

Quite nice in a midmodern style, ripe black cherry and plum, hint of mocha, just a hint of tannic backbone remaining. Plush without being glossy, not so long. B+/B

2000 vintage

Ripe and smooth tannins, can still be stored Lovely concentration and balanced Wine

2000 vintage

meget bra flaske. Tobakk, moreller, kirsebær, ceder. Lite utviklet og vil tåle mange år til. Flott balanse og lengde.

2000 vintage

Fantastisk!

2006 vintage

Dark red

2006 vintage

Still well within its drinking window. Lively wine, well balanced. Color very dark garnet. Muted nose. Red and black berries, a touch of caramel. Nice wine.

2006 vintage

A very dark robe of deep crimson yields a nose surprisingly perfumed with scents of cassis, forest leaves, deep barnyard notes and some fall flowers. On the palate, the softness of the merlot is counterbalanced by a quite masculine dose of Cabernet franc, yielding a very delicious and completely integrated Bordeaux with notes of dark cherry, hints of chocolate, red berry mixtures and lots of sous bois. Consumed in France so no travel wear. Needs very little decanting and is …

2000 vintage

- Ruby color - Unfortunately I let this one sit too long. Drank the last one 5 years ago and it was excellent.

2000 vintage

Very much enjoyed this wine. Robust fruit still, as well as tannin structure. Lovely finich.

2000 vintage

I opened just before drinking - was very good approach. Very good balance nice lingering taste. At its peak.

2000 vintage

The bottle was in perfect condition. The wine was medium garnet in colour and offered red fruit, bell pepper, leather, spice and cinnamon aromas on the nose. On the palate, the wine showed red and dark fruit, plum, red cherry, bell pepper, spice, cinnamon and tobacco, with lively acidity, mostly resolved tannin and good length. The medium- to light-bodied, medium-complex wine did not have the smoothness you would expect from a 1985, but was holding up well.

1985 vintage

Are you sure?

Chateau Laroque Grand Cru Classe, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru

Vintages

No vintages

Community Reviews