Château du Glana: Vineyards
Château du Glana sits on the side of the D2 as it heads north towards the town of St Julien, just on the edge of Beychevelle. The road takes a right turn through Beychevelle, just by the gigantic ‘bottle’ of St Julien (I personally think it should be obligatory for all wine villages to display such a bottle, a ruling preferably enforced by law) before it then courses past Château Gloria. Immediately afterwards is Château du Glana. Neighbours therefore include Château Ducru-Beaucaillou, the vineyards of which lie on the opposite side of the road, and then Château Langoa-Barton which lies slightly further on along the D2.
It is thus perhaps tempting to think that all of the Glana vineyards lie here, rubbing shoulders with the grandest of neighbours, so close to the Gironde. Of course, this is not the case. Within the château buildings there are two parcels, and there is a third on the other side, just to the south. Otherwise the buildings are encircled by the football pitch and woodland to the north, and vineyards belong to Château Branaire-Ducru, Château Ducru-Beaucaillou and Château Langoa-Barton. Most of the vineyards appear to lie further inland, on the very periphery of the commune and appellation, near the D101. This makes the estate’s real neighbours Château Branaire-Ducru (the vineyards of which are scattered throughout the commune), Château Lagrange (which makes sense, when we remember many of the vineyards were purchased from this estate) and, beyond the boundary, Château Belgrave.
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