Learn everything about Chateau Les Gravieres, St. Emilion with wine tasting notes, and wine with food pairing tips. Learn the best vintages, the history of the property, and information on the vineyards and winemaking. If you want to read about other important, Bordeaux Chateaux: Links to all Bordeaux Wine Producer Profiles
Chateau Les Gravieres takes its name from its terroir with its deep gravel. The wine made its debut with the 1998 vintage. Although the vineyard dates back a lot further than that as wines were produced at the estate since at least 1900. The estate is owned by Denis Barraud, who is also the proprietor of the neighboring Right Bank vineyard, Chateau Lynsolence.
Sadly, at far too young of an age, after a long illness, Denis Barraud passed away, on February 3, 2023. He was a nice man and an enthusiastic owner who will be missed.
Chateau Les Gravieres Vineyards, Terroir, Grapes, Winemaking
The 4.5-hectare vineyard is planted with 100% old vine Merlot. The vineyard has a terroir of deep gravel and sand soils with clay and limestone. On average the vines are 40 years of age, but some vines are more than 50 years of age. The vines are well-placed in two communes, St, Sulpice de Faleyrens, which is not too far from Chateau Monbousquet, and St. Laurent des Combes. The vineyard is planted to a vine density of 5,500 plants per hectare.
To produce the wine of Chateau Les Gravieres, vinification takes place in stainless steel tanks following an 8 to 10-day cold maceration, Malolactic fermentation takes place in 100% new, French oak barrels. The wine is then aged in the new oak barrels for an average of 16 months before bottling.
The best vintages of Chateau Les Gravieres are: 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2012, 2010, 2009 and 2005. Fans of the estate should know that starting with 2018, Chateau Les Gravieres has been on top of things, making the best wine in the history of the estate.
The production of Chateau Les Gravieres is small. On average, only 1,600 cases of wine are produced here in each vintage. Jean Luc Thunevin of Valandraud acts as their consultant.
When to Drink Chateau Les Gravieres, Anticipated Maturity, Decanting Time
Chateau Les Gravieres needs at least some time before it can be enjoyed. Young vintages can be decanted for an average of 1 hour to 90 minutes. This allows the wine to soften and open its perfume. Older vintages might need very little decanting, just enough to remove the sediment.
Chateau Les Gravieres is usually better with at least 4-6 years of bottle age. Of course, that can vary slightly, depending on the vintage character. Chateau Les Gravieres offers its best drinking and should reach peak maturity between 5-15 years of age after the vintage.
Serving Chateau Les Gravieres with Wine, Food, Pairing Tips
Chateau Les Gravieres is best served at 15.5 degrees Celsius, 60 degrees Fahrenheit. The cool, almost cellar temperature gives the wine more freshness and lift.
Chateau Les Gravieres is best paired with all types of classic meat dishes, veal, pork, beef, lamb, duck, game, roast chicken, roasted, braised, and grilled dishes. Chateau Les Gravieres is also good when matched with Asian dishes, and hearty fish courses like tuna, mushrooms, and pasta.
Denis Barraud produces two other Saint Emilion wines using 100% Merlot, Chateau Lynsolence and Haut Renaissance. In addition, the Barraud family also produces other Merlot-dominated, Bordeaux value wines, Chateau de La Cour d’Argent, Merlot De Lyne and Emotion.
Château Les Gravières Wine Tasting Notes
8 Vintages 23,415 Views Sort by Vintage-Rating
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2023
Château Les Gravières (St. Émilion Grand Cru)
Chocolate-covered black cherries, plums, flowers, with a strong mineral essence, the wine is medium-bodied, fresh, forward, and fruity, finishing with licorice, dark cocoa, and red pit fruits from start to finish. The wine is produced from 100% Merlot. Drink from 2026-2038. 90-92 Pts. 1,034 Views Tasted May 4, 2024 |
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2021
Château Les Gravières (St. Émilion Grand Cru)
Flowers, licorice, plums, cocoa and plummy fruits form the core of this medium-bodied, fresh, mineral driven wine. Produced from 100% Merlot, you can enjoy this charmer on release. Drink from 2023-2034. 89-91 1,848 Views Tasted May 20, 2022 |
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2020
Château Les Gravières (St. Émilion Grand Cru)
Deep, dark garnet with purple edges in color, the seductive wine is pure velvet on the palate. Full-bodied, rich, concentrated and sensuous, the fruit is perfectly ripe, expressing a gorgeous sense of purity on the mid-palate which manages to carry all the way though to the long finish. Clearly, this is the finest vintage of Les Gravieres ever produced! If you can wait 5 years or so before opening a bottle, this will be an even better wine. 94-96 Pts 3,997 Views Tasted May 20, 2021 |
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2019
Château Les Gravières (St. Émilion Grand Cru)
It is always a good sign with a wine shows much better in the bottle than it did from the barrel, this wine has put on a lot of weight during covid, as now the wine has much more volume. Rich, round, lush and deep, the fruits are dark, ripe and polished. The wine is still a bit oaky, so it needs to better integrate to allow all of its black cherries, plums, flowers and spice to come through its espresso tinged surface. But give it a few years in the cellar and this is going to be a treat in your glass. Drink from 2034-2035. 2,849 Views Tasted Mar 29, 2022Espresso, black fruit, jam and smoke on the nose start things off. On the palate, the wine is round, forward and fruity with a dark coffee bean note accompanying the dark cherries in the finish. This should drink well on release. 87-89 Pts 4,043 Views Tasted Jun 8, 2020 |
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2018
Château Les Gravières (St. Émilion Grand Cru)
Rich, fruity, opulent and sensuous, this supple textured gem pops with espresso, dark fruits, chocolate, licorice and smoke. The wine is full-bodied, velvety and rich with layers of fruits on the finish. If you can wait 5 years or so, this will be an even better wine. 2,924 Views Tasted Mar 9, 2021 |
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2016
Château Les Gravières (St. Émilion Grand Cru)
Licorice, smoke, earth and juicy plums pair well with the soft, medium-bodied, red fruits. Easy to drink, the wine will be best on the young side. 1,855 Views Tasted Sep 21, 2019 |
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2015
Château Les Gravières (St. Émilion Grand Cru)
Medium-bodied and showing a strong oaky character that almost overwhelms, all the ripe, sweet, dark, red berries, licorice, smoke, and chocolate. If the oak is able to integrate, which I am not sure it will, this will be a better wine. If not, my score would drop from here. 2,106 Views Tasted Sep 7, 2022 |
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2009
Château Les Gravières (St. Émilion Grand Cru)
Fully mature, the still, deep-colored wine is all about its rich, lush texture and layers of dark cherries, licorice, chocolate, and licorice. Drink 2022-2028. 2,759 Views Tasted Sep 7, 2022 |
