Chateau Gloria, Saint Julien 2018

60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot, 3% Cabernet Franc

Producer
Château Gloria is a wine estate in the Saint-Julien appellation of the Médoc wine region, just north of Bordeaux city, on the so-called “Left Bank” of the Gironde Estuary. The estate did not feature in the official Bordeaux Classification of 1855 as it was formed nearly 100 years later through the acquisition of numerous plots from classed growths including Beychevelle, Léoville-Barton and Gruaud-Larose.

The estate is regularly praised for its consistent performance and widely regarded by critics as being worthy of cru classé status. Its vineyards cover roughly 50 hectares (124 acres) across several plots including in the Beychevelle region (and estate), in the north on the border with Pauillac, and in the west of the appellation.

The soils are primarily composed of gravel over clay and sand, and plantings are 65 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 25 percent Merlot, and 5 percent each of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.

Château Gloria harvests grapes by hand, and fermentation takes place in temperature-controlled stainless steel vats. The wine is then typically aged for 14 months in casks, with around 40 percent new oak.

The 2018 Gloria is deep garnet-purple colored and gives up expressive notions of warm red and black currants, black cherries and boysenberries with hints of spice cake, cedar chest, pencil lead and menthol. Full-bodied with a firm texture of ripe, grainy tannins, it has a lively line cutting through the dense, savory layers, finishing on a lingering spicy note.

James Suckling 94
Jeb Dunnuck 94
Decanter 93
Wine Spectator 93