Château Gloria: Vineyards
Château Gloria is located in Beychevelle, overlooking the D2, just set back from the road on the left-hand side, not quite opposite the aforementioned giant wine bottle (which obviously no self-respecting wine village should be without). The vineyard has grown a little in size since Henri Martin’s early efforts, and when I first penned this profile the Martin-Triaud clan were tending 50 hectares of vines; during the years that have since passed this figure has now crept up to 58 hectares.
The vines are divided into three broad zones, with some parcels in the confines of Beychevelle, a second collection of parcels to the west, and a third to the north near the border with Pauillac. Many of the vines which surround the offices and winemaking facilities, some of which are pictured in my images (like that below), belong to other neighbouring properties including Château Branaire-Ducru, Château Ducru-Beaucaillou and of course Château Saint-Pierre. Of note, the latter acquisition amounts to 12 hectares of vines which could, now that the two properties are in the same hands, easily be returned to Saint-Pierre; Jean Triaud and family prefer to keep things the way they are though, purportedly because it is part of the Gloria ‘story’, although it might also reflect the fact Gloria sells so well.
The soil underfoot is typically gravelly with a subsoil of clay and sand. The gravel is largely derived from Terrace 3. The vines are aged about 40 years on average, with Cabernet Sauvignon dominating at 65% of the vineyard, with 25% Merlot and 5% each of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.
