Description
Although Château Gloria is an unclassed Bordeaux wine from the Saint-Julien appellation, it is also a bit of a rarity in Bordeaux. The winery is located in the central part of France’s Bordeaux wine region Haut-Médoc, in the commune of Saint-Julien-Beychevelle. Regarded as a well-made wine with the best characteristics of Saint-Julien, it is estimated by many to be on a par with the classed growths.
A relatively young estate, Château Gloria was founded and assembled by Monsieur Henri Martin who established the reputation of Gloria within the space of a generation. With the first acquisitions of 6 hectares (15 acres) of vines in 1942, and purchase of the chai of Château Saint-Pierre, Martin added to the estate over the years with land bought from the surrounding classed estates, including châteaux Saint-Pierre, Beychevelle, Léoville-Poyferré, Gruaud-Larose, Léoville-Barton, Ducru-Beaucaillou, Lagrange and a Saint-Julien property of Duhart-Milon, making up its present size.
Tasting Note
Deep garnet in color, the 2010 Gloria features notions of cedar, sandalwood and dusty earth with a core of black cherry compote and black berry pie plus wafts of tapenade, truffles and charcoal. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has a solid frame of firm, grainy tannins and lively acid with emboldened flavors and an earth-laced finish. [93 Points, Lisa Perrotti-Brown – March 2020, robertparker.com]
