The 2009 vintage in Bordeaux was one of those years that needed no excuses — warm, ripe, generous — and this is the second wine of Gruaud Larose, a classed-growth estate in Saint-Julien, from exactly that vintage. Nearly two decades on, it is doing the thing that makes aged Bordeaux worth the wait: the fruit has folded into tobacco, cocoa and savory depth, and the tannins have gone soft and easy. The blend is led by Cabernet Sauvignon, with Merlot, Cabernet Franc and a slug of Petit Verdot, off the estate’s classed-growth Saint-Julien vineyards (Gruaud Larose only began converting to organic farming in 2019). Second wines from good estates in great vintages remain one of the few honest ways to drink mature Bordeaux without a fight. It is ready right now — give it an hour open and go.