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Still tasting as if it were only 7-8 years of age, the dense, garnet/purple-colored 1986 Gruaud Larose is evolving at a glacial pace. The wine still has mammoth structure, tremendous reserves of fruit and concentration, and a finish that lasts close to a minute. The wine is massive, very impressively constituted, with still some mouth-searing tannin to shed. Decanting of one to two hours in advance seems to soften it a bi, but this is a wine that seems to be almost immortal in terms of its longevity. It is a great Médoc classic and certainly one of the most magnificent Gruaud Larose ever made. Anticipated maturity: 2006-2035.
Score: 96 Robert Parker, Bordeaux Book (4), December 2003
There seems to be no doubt about the quality of the 1986 Gruaud-Larose, which in 20 years should rival the extraordinary 1990, 1982, 1961, 1949, and 1928 made at this vast estate. From the first time I tasted this wine in cask, I have thought it to be among the blockbusters of the vintage. It has a black/purple color, mammoth structure, a fabulous wealth of fruit, and a finish that seems to last several minutes. This is indeed first-growth quality, but then, when, in the last decade, has a Gruaud-Larose not matched the quality of the first-growths? Given the enormous structure, impressive concentration, and massive tannins, one must wonder when this wine will be ready to drink. That may preclude a number of consumers from actually deciding to buy it. For many readers, this is probably a wine to lay down for their children, rather than for them to realistically consider drinking in their own lifetimes
Score: 94+ Robert Parker, Bordeaux Book (3), November 1998
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