Chateau Gloria 2016

This has a slightly chunky feel now, with bramble and tar notes jutting out a bit, but the core is saturated with cassis and blackberry fruit flavors and there's fun energy throughout. Offers a lovely tug of sweet tobacco detail on the finish too. Just let this settle in the cellar. Best from 2024 through 2038.

Though it's hardly under-the-radar, this unclassified château (one of the few in this appellation) consistently offers rich, bright fruit, charm, and juicy generosity in a lighter, elegant St-Julien style, especially in top vintages like 2016. The plots that make up its vineyards were painstakingly acquired by the late Henri Martin and it's now run by his daughter and son-in-law, along with fourth growth Château Saint-Pierre. The blend in 2016 is 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc, and 3% Petit Verdot and aged in 40% new barrels. This was the first vintage made in a new winery, with 76 different-sized tanks, and it's one of the best wines ever from Gloria.

Beautiful aromas of blackcurrants and blueberries. Hot-stone undertones. Full-bodied, very tight and focused with very fine tannins that are strong and bright. Compressed. Serious. Try in 2023.

The 2016 Gloria is noticeably deeper in color than its peers. It has a charming bouquet of blackberry, briar, brown spices and touches of sandalwood, complex and developing loamy elements with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins and a fine bead of acidity. Quite mineral-driven, leading into a composed, precise finish that indicates careful winemaking from great terroir. Superb. Tasted blind at the Southwold tasting.

Elegant, fresh, floral, refined and with a true Saint-Julien character, the wine shows concentration, focus, energy, ripe red fruits and freshness. This is easily the best wine produced in the history of the estate.

Fine wood and gently roasted notes with inky dark fruit, cassis, raspberry and floral hints. Good volume and weight with a rounded and smooth texture, very fine and polished tannins, fresh dark fruit flavours and a long lingering finish with an elegant spiciness.

I was lucky enough to taste the 2016 Château Gloria on multiple occasions and it’s unquestionably the finest vintage of this cuvée I’ve tasted. A blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, aged in 42% new French oak, its deep purple color is followed by a powerful, medium- to full-bodied wine with thrilling purity in its ripe black and blue fruits, tobacco, and graphite-laced aromas and flavors. Deep and layered, with ripe tannins and the purity and freshness that make the vintage so special, this is a brilliant Gloria to drink over the coming 20+ years.

Kunz barrel sample 17: herbs, deep bouquet, blackberries, black cherries, good rubber, tobacco. Classic, dense palate with good tannins, velvety fruit, a dense, finely muscular structure, powerful dark aromatics, and a long, full, aromatic finish.

Herbs, deep bouquet, blackberries, black cherries, good rubber note, tobacco. Classic, dense palate with good tannin, velvety fruit, dense, finely muscular structure, powerful dark aromatics, long, full, aromatic finish. 18/20 2024 - 2038

Plum colour, with spiced damson and raspberry leaf aromatics. A good few years from being truly open and ready to drink, this is nevertheless superbly enjoyable, even if closed in. It unrolls to show waves of cocoa bean, dark chocolate shavings, espresso, crushed rocks, bilberry and blackcurrant fruit. The chewy tannins are confident and dominate the structure, exerting quiet control over the shape and form of the palate. Bursting with potential. 40% new oak, with one of the latest harvests in the vertical, running from September 29 to October 17. Remi di Constanzo technical director.

Impressive body, great freshness, with some tannic hardness that needs to soften.

As we indicated, 2016 is a major success for the estate, adding extra depth and definition. Superb.

Nose of red fruits, small dark berries, Zan, vanilla. Fresh juice, nice chew, lively, supple tannins, a gourmet, delicious wine.

Dense garnet red. Gloria’s bouquet reveals itself slowly. I detect subtle filigree notes of blackberry and spices. The palate entry is gourmand and delicate. Subtle, elegant character on the palate. The tannins are finely grained and in line with a structure that delivers freshness and fruit. They have a surprising ability to underscore their power. The finish still needs to gain aromatic expression to frame slight varietal notes, but this does not detract from the merit of Gloria 2016.

Beautiful deep, dark red. Moderately aromatic nose with ripe, fresh fruit. Delicate on entry, more aromatic than usual mid-palate; the wine melts on the palate, delicious, flavorful and very pleasant, with brightness on the finish and inky nuances.

Deep garnet in color, the 2016 Gloria needs a little swirling before notions of blackcurrant cordial, kirsch, and stewed black tea spill from the glass, followed by hints of chargrill and wood smoke. The medium-bodied palate has a lovely plush texture and just enough freshness to support the generous black fruits, finishing with a spicy kick.

90–92. Barrel Sample. The tannins in this wine are firm, resulting in a selection of more structural grip than fruity opulence. It will need to evolve and mellow, ensuring that the fruit is allowed to come forward.