The 2019 Gloria has a compelling nose: black fruit, crushed rocks, tobacco and very subtle marine scents that are all beautifully combined. Perhaps the most precise and delineated nose among an impressive array of Saint-Julien's this year. The palate is medium-bodied with a lively opening. A touch of soy infuses the black fruit; fine-boned with wonderful sapidity on the finish. Extraordinary length. Serious. Tasted blind at the Southwold annual tasting.
Showing beautifully, with the polished, pure, elegant style of the vintage, the 2019 Château Gloria sports a deeper ruby/purple color as well as great aromatics of cassis and assorted blue fruits to go with smoked tobacco, cedar pencil, damp earth, and floral notes. I love its purity, and it's just a quintessential, medium to full-bodied, layered Saint-Julien that can be drunk today or cellared for a solid two decades. It should be a no-brainer purchase for the wine lovers out there.
Another winning velvety texture out of St Julien. You can trace the warmth and generosity of the vintage in the concentration and the ripeness of these blackberry and raspberry fruits but it is so seductive and carefully balanced with a core of freshness and a ton of crushed stone, black chocolate and baked earth adding layers and interest. This should be good value and is a definite buy. So much character and personality, right up there with the best vintages of this property. 40% new oak, 5% Petit Verdot completes the blend.
Rock-solid, with a mouthwatering roasted apple wood and mesquite frame around a well-layered core of black currant, blackberry and plum fruit flavors. The finish features dots of tobacco and tar that add range, but the real driver is a long bolt of iron, which gives this a throwback feel. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Best from 2025 through 2038.
Sweet berry and cherry aromas with violets, following through to a medium to full body with creamy, linear tannins and a long, flavorful finish. Tight and curated, in a structured way. Try after 2027.
Black currants, English breakfast tea, orange rind and cigar box are on the nose. On the palate., the wine is fresh, sweet, soft and elegant, as well as juicy, crisp and vibrant. The tannins are soft and polished, the wine finishes with loads of creamy cassis and a touch of chocolate on the backend. Drink from 2027-2040.
The 2019 Gloria has turned out very well, delivering aromas of blackcurrants, plums, burning embers and a deft framing of creamy new oak. Medium to full-bodied, deep and nicely concentrated, with a vibrant core of ripe and fleshy fruit, lively acids and powdery structuring tannins that assert themselves on the youthfully firm finish, this shows considerable promise.
Deep dark ruby ??garnet, opaque core, violet reflections, delicate edge lightening. Pleasant touch of precious wood, black berry fruit, fine cassis, delicate liquorice. Juicy, red fruit, pleasantly sweet, fine tannins, elegant and persistent, shows balance and freshness, mineral and lemony notes on the finish, good potential.
Chateau Gloria is the rare Saint Julien estate that has long been known for its astounding value. Composed of mostly Grand Cru parcels pieced together over the decades, this 96 POINT stunner is a revelation for Left Bank Bordeaux...especially at our fantastic price!
Henri Martin painstakingly knitted together this 50-hectare estate by buying up small parcels from his long-standing Grand Chateau neighbors. As an appellation, Saint Julien is only 900 hectares in total, with the vast majority of parcels owned by the 11 Grand Cru houses (a whopping 86%!) including Château Ducru-Beaucaillou, Château Léoville-Barton, Château Léoville Las Cases, Château Lagrange, Château Beychevelle to name a few. Henri spent a large portion of his adult life shaving off pieces from these and other great estates – securing the Chateau Gloria estate by the late 1970s.
In the decades since, the focus has turned to the land itself – the use of organic, biodynamic, reasonable, and sustainable practices to encourage the very best from the vines. The vineyard is planted to a mix of 65% cabernet sauvignon, 25% merlot, 5% cabernet franc, and 5% petit verdot on the region’s revered Günzian gravel soils – providing the quick drainage and carefully applied vineyard stress that makes Saint Julien such a prized region on the Left Bank of the Gironde estuary.
The wine, which closely resembles the vineyard makeup, clocks in at a final blend of 55% cabernet sauvignon, 34% merlot, 6% cabernet franc, and 5% petit verdot – all carefully reared in 45% new French oak barrels for 14 months. The wine is immediately friendly and open – somewhat unique for Left Bank Bordeaux – but nevertheless possesses a deeply structured frame that is sure to survive the decades to come. Initial notes of cassis, and lilacs, with a blueberry and mixed berry pie richness, compose the wine’s core – with complementary notes of tobacco and tar hinting at the wine’s mineral depth. Crushed stones and graphite, too! This 96-pointer is classic Saint Julien, at a tasty price that makes us wholeheartedly agree with Jeb’s assertion that this is certainly “a no-brainer purchase for the wine lovers out there.” He was talking about full retail – can you imagine his enthusiasm for our price at 34% off? I’m grabbing four, plus a magnum for cellaring...you? Grab yours while they last!
About the Producer
"One of the better-known Crus Bourgeois of the Medoc, still at reasonable prices. Chateau Gloria is made up of holdings of classified Crus and would deserve to be classified in its own right. Recent vintages have found all their character again, in the tradition of the great Saint-Julien wines. A surprising wine if you are prepared to wait: after 30 years, the 1970 vintage has just reached optimum maturity."
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