Château Gloria 2018

A full-bodied red with a dense, juicy palate of blueberries and blackcurrants. Some black tea and tree bark, too. Tight yet long and linear finish. Very structured and polished. Drink after 2024.

Readers looking for an estate on the uptick need to check out the 2018 Château Gloria, which is up with the finest vintages I’ve tasted from this Saint-Julien estate. Deeply colored with terrific cassis and blackberry fruits as well as ample leafy herbs and sappy flower notes, it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, has polished, elegant tannins, and a great finish. It’s a juicy, fruit-forward effort with good concentration and lots of class. Drink it over the coming 25 years or more. The blend is currently 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, and the balance Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc, from a selection of 65% of the total production, that’s currently resting in 40% new French oak.

Gloria is fast becoming one of the most exciting insider wines of the entire Bordeaux region, and that rare species of a non-classified St-Julien. The fruit here is brambly, textured and autumnal, and again the alcohol seems generous but balanced, with plenty of St-Julien finesse. It has a feeling of not needing to go too far to convince anyone. This is some austerity here but there's a bounce to the tannins through the mid-palate, while the alcohol is clearly there but not dominant, helped I would expect by relatively generous yields of 46hl/ha. Very good quality. 5% Cabernet Franc makes up the blend. 50% new oak. - Jane Anson

The 2018 Gloria is a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot and 3% Cabernet Franc, aged for approximately 14 months in oak barriques, 40% new. Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, it sashays out of the glass with flamboyant notes of kirsch, black raspberries and cassis, plus hints of potpourri, unsmoked cigars and star anise. The medium to full-bodied palate delivers a good amount of juicy black and red fruit flavors, backed up by slightly chewy tannins and just enough freshness, finishing spicy.