Château Gloria
The origins of Château Gloria are perhaps the most unusual and unexpected of all the châteaux in St Julien, indeed perhaps of all those on the Médoc peninsula, that I have profiled over the years. In St Julien (the village, as opposed to the appellation) is an appellation rich in history; Château Léoville-Barton, Château Léoville-Poyferré and Château Léoville-Las-Cases, the three châteaux that spring from the great Léoville estate, were all once the dominion of Blaise Antoine Alexandre de Gascq, the Marquis de Las-Cases-Beauvoir. Their shared origin can be traced back to at least the early years of the 17th century. Meanwhile, around the village of Beychevelle, Château Branaire-Ducru, Château Beychevelle, Château Saint-Pierre and Château Ducru-Beaucaillou all emerged from the estate of Bernard de Nogaret de La Valette, which was broken up and sold off during the 17th century, although the tale here can be traced back even further, to the 13th century.
Château Gloria (pictured), however, is a much more recent creation, the result not of dissolution and disruption, but of consolidation. The grandest estates in St Julien described above sprang into life when tracts of land were confiscated after the Revolution, or in order to settled unpaid debts. Too large for even the most wealthy to take in hand, they were broken up, and sold off in a piecemeal fashion.
