Ch. Laroque
Grand Cru Classe
Saint-Emilion
2019

The producer

Château Laroque is a distinguished Grand Cru Classé estate situated in the Saint-Émilion appellation of Bordeaux, with origins that trace back to the 12th century and a long tradition of viticulture since the 17th century. Owned by the Beaumartin family, the estate boasts one of the largest single vineyard holdings in Saint-Émilion, encompassing over 60 hectares planted predominantly with Merlot, alongside significant portions of Cabernet Franc and a touch of Cabernet Sauvignon. Château Laroque has gained acclaim for its dedication to expressing the limestone-rich terroir of Saint-Émilion, with vineyard practices that emphasize precision and sustainability. Under the guidance of David Suire, the winemaking combines traditional methods with a modern sensibility to craft wines of purity, elegance, and remarkable depth. Known for their vibrant fruit character, fine minerality, and refined tannins, the wines of Château Laroque are celebrated for both their accessibility in youth and their impressive potential to age gracefully, securing the estate’s reputation as one of the leading names in the region.

The wine

Château Laroque, a Grand Cru Classé from Saint-Émilion, embodies the estate’s limestone terroir and dedication to crafting wines of purity and finesse. Predominantly Merlot, complemented by Cabernet Franc and a touch of Cabernet Sauvignon, the wine shows a deep ruby color and an expressive bouquet of ripe black cherry, plum, and blackberry, lifted by floral notes of violet and subtle hints of graphite and spice. On the palate, it combines richness with refinement, offering layers of dark fruit, fine-grained tannins, and a distinctive minerality that brings freshness and balance. Gentle aging in French oak adds nuances of cocoa and cedar, enhancing complexity while preserving the wine’s clarity of fruit. Elegant, structured, and long-lived, Château Laroque captures the timeless character of Saint-Émilion, delivering both immediate appeal and remarkable potential for aging.

We choose our wines based on a range of criteria (see how we choose our wines) of which critic scores is just one. Rather than simply highlight the best score to promote a wine, our average critic score is calculated from the scores provided by several respected wine critics, who we follow for specific regions. They do not represent all critic scores and, wherever possible, we try and give more weight to more recent reviews. Where appropriate we consider market-based scores like Global Wine Score or Wine Searcher Average scores.

As a rule, we look to offer wines that achieve a 92/100 average critic score or better and frankly a lot of very good wines simply don’t make the cut. As a high-end provider we want to reflect that positioning in the quality of wines we offer. Such wines are only a tiny fraction of those generally on offer in the market. We believe that an average score is a more conservative and representative approach, but it is still subjective and only offered as a guide to our customers, who will (and should) do their own research. We will add individual critic scores to our website in the future.