This is one of the most enduringly popular wines in Ireland and though prices have increased in recent decades, it still offers a truly rewarding experience, stunning quality and (relatively) excellent value for money.
The 2020 vintage was excellent for Saint-Julien, long and warm in the spring and even temperatures during harvest, this wine benefitted from it all, showing a plum, bramble and generosity of texture and tannin, this got top-drawer treatment with 40-45% new oak barrique ageing, making it a keeper. Certain reviewers give it decades of a drinking window and others reckon it's ready to go now. I guess it depends on how you like your fillet cooked...
Surely, this is a classy, seductive and category-leading wine-making - there are few non-cru-classé wines that can claim this level of quality.
But, for all its popularity, Gloria is something of a blow-in in Bordeaux terms... Created in the 1950s by the director of Château Latour, Henri Martin, Gloria, of course, does not appear in the 1855 classification, but surely would if it were ever updated. Even since Martin's time the quality has been improved radially in the past decades, making it one of the most notable non-classed Châteaux in Saint-Julien. The estate has 50 hectares of vines made up of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Petit Verdot.
It is widely considered to be the best value in the village.
94 Points, James Suckling
"This is poised and elegant with notes of bitter chocolate, crushed walnuts, black peppercorns, blackberries and blackcurrants. It’s medium-bodied with silky tannins and layers of fresh black fruit. Classy."
93 Points, Neal Martin
"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."
93 Points, Lisa Perotti-Brown, The Wine Advocate
"The 2020 Gloria has a deep garnet-purple color. It rocks up with ready-to-go notes of baked blackberries, warm cassis, and blueberry compote, plus hints of pencil lead, black olives, and clove oil. Medium-bodied, the palate is generous and refreshing, with velvety tannins and a provocative lift on the finish."
96 Points, Jane Anson
"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."
Region: Saint-Julien
Country: France
Grape(s): Petit Verdot, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc
Style: Smooth, Silky, Rich, Full, Elegant, Dark, Complex, Balanced
Best food matches: Steak, Red Meats, Mature Cheeses, Lamb, Fine Dining, Charcuterie, Beef
Alcohol: 13.5%
