Chateau Gloria 2021

Cellar for up to 15 years. Decant 1 hour before serving. Chateau Gloria is an up-and-coming Bordeaux estate that’s gained a committed following for its accessible yet ageworthy wines. Despite its unclassified status, this St-Julien property easily rivals more prestigious chateaux thanks to the vision and foresight of Henri Martin who took over the estate in 1942. Henri bought up promising vineyards from renowned wineries like Talbot, Lagrange and Léoville-Barton, and by the mid 1960s he had some 50 hectares dispersed across the appellation. Today the property is run by Henri’s son-in-law Jean-Louis Triaud who is also in charge of the family’s other estates including the Grand Cru Chateau St. Pierre. Their Grand Vin is primarily composed of Cabernet Sauvignon along with a smaller proportion of Merlot and a drop of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. The young wine is aged in 40% new French oak barrels for 14 months prior to bottling. Chateau Gloria tends to be a lighter, more elegant expression of St-Julien than some of its neighbours, although it still has an opulent dark fruit core and is best kept in the cellar for several years following the vintage. On the nose there are luscious notes of cassis, blackberry and dark cherry which are kept in check on the palate by a gentle streak of acidity, firm tannins and a well-developed structure.