Chateau Gloria Saint-Julien 2020

Saint-Julien, Bordeaux, France

93 JD / 94 JS / 92 WA / 93 NM / 93 WS / 93 AG / 94 Decanter / 93 WI

Chateau Gloria is a classic Saint-Julien, created by Henri Martin and the only one of its kind as this 50-hectare vineyard was put together piece-by-piece over a number of years through the purchase of plots exclusively from grands crus classified in 1855. It is a vineyard covering 50 hectares, with an average vine age of 40 years, spread across three areas, in the middle of Beychevelle and then in the west and the north of the appellation (bordering Pauillac) on soil made up of Gunzian gravel covering a layer of clay and sand.

“Just about a perennial must-buy, the 2020 Chateau Gloria is another terrific vintage for this Saint-Julien chateau, which always seems to turn out a fabulous wine that sells for a great price. Sporting a deep purple hue as well as impressive aromatics of ripe blackcurrants, plums, camphor, smoked tobacco, and gravelly earth, it's a wine that blossoms with time in the glass. (I followed this bottle for multiple days.) Medium to full-bodied on the palate, it has beautifully polished tannins, outstanding balance, and the more focused style of the vintage. Tasted twice with consistent notes. Best After 2027.”—Jeb Dunnuck 93 points!

“Youthfully taut and well-structured, with singed apple wood and licorice root notes holding a core of red currant, dark plum and blackberry fruit in check for now. Reveals a nice racy graphite underpinning on the finish. One for the cellar. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc.”—Wine Spectator 93 points!

Once the grapes have been picked by hand, the harvest is vinified in the traditional way in heat-regulated stainless-steel vats, in order to produce truly exceptional wines which can be laid down for a long time. The wine then spends 14 months being aged in casks, with an average of 40% of them being replaced every year.

The 2020 Gloria will drink optimally now through 2040.