Gloria 2020

A brilliant wine from a great vintage in St Julien, rich, silky and utterly delicious. Espresso, cocoa, creamy blackberry and cassis, with juicy depths, spellbinding, concentrated and full of charm and character. 45% new oak. Remi di Constanzo technical director. Drink 2030-2050.

Deep crimson. Very lively and well-balanced with the acidity and fruit and tannin all in nice harmony. Restrained but fully ripe. Classic and successful. Very appetising and long finish. Drink 2026 – 2043.

Just about a perennial must-buy, the 2020 Château Gloria is another terrific vintage for this Saint-Julien château, 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. Drink 2027-2047.

(50% CS, 35% M, 4% CF, 1% PV; 34hl/ha; 13.3% ABV; 40% new)Lightly gravelly nose, with nice ripe blackcurrant fruit; rich, fresh, medium-full, and lightly tannic wine; fleshy, juicy, easy, freshly defined and immediate, fairly silky textured, accessible soon, and in a relatively opulent style for the year. Nice length, most attractive. 2026–40+.

The 2020 Gloria is the last vintage before the estate moved completely towards organic farming. It has a lovely bouquet with blackberry, raspberry, orange rind and sous-bois aromas, precise and focused. The oak is nicely integrated here (40% new). The palate is medium-bodied with pliant tannins, harmonious and poised, just a little soy in the background, almost understated towards the finish that gently fans out. It might drink a little earlier than I estimated from barrel, but it's going be a gem.

The 2020 Gloria has an intense nose of penetrating blackberry, raspberry, crushed violet and crushed stone aromas. After 20 minutes, this just blossoms in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy black fruit, fine acidity and just a touch of espresso and orange peel toward the finish, which remains taught and focused. What a wonderful Gloria! This might actually surpass its sibling, Château St. Pierre, this year. Drink 2028-2050.

Very focused and poised with blackberry, blackcurrant and graphite character. It’s full-to medium-bodied with racy tannins and a long, dynamic finish. Will be interesting to see if 2020 is better than 2019.

Opaque purple-black colored, the 2020 Gloria comes soaring out of the glass with notes of blackcurrant cordial, preserved plums and blueberry compote, followed by suggestions of powdered cinnamon, cedar chest and menthol, plus a waft of graphite. The medium to full-bodied palate is completely coated with juicy black fruits, framed by grainy tannins and just enough freshness, finishing long and spicy. The blend is 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 11% Petit Verdot, aging for approximately 14 months in French oak barrels, 40% new. The alcohol is 13.3%. 2024 - 2043

A brilliant wine from a great vintage in St Julien, rich, silky and utterly delicious. Espresso, cocoa, creamy blackberry and cassis, with juicy depths, spellbinding, concentrated and full of charm and character. 45% new oak. Remi di Constanzo technical director.

I love the clear depth to the blueberry and blackberry fruit on the nose here, a sense of elegance and glamour. Silky yet with a kick, this is enjoyable with a saltine cracker twist on the finish - an excellent St-Julien, but a little disappointing for this particular estate when considered next to recent vintages. Tasted twice.Drinking Window 2026 - 2042