Château Gloria: Tasting & Drinking
The wines of Château Gloria are wines made from the fruit of St Julien classed growth vineyards, although for many years I think it would have been true to say that nobody was expecting the wines of this estate to match those made from the very top vineyards in this commune. These are not wines to knock the crown from the heads of Château Léoville-Las-Cases or Château Ducru-Beaucaillou. The wines were well made and of good quality though, and should never have been ignored. Tasting older examples, such as the 1982, showed that not only was the requisite quality there, but also the ability to age. I also found pleasure in the 1996 and 2000 vintages; they were perhaps not quite at the same level as neighbouring classed growths, but I could find character and quality within the wines.
In more recent years I have been pleased to see the wines of this estate step up a gear, matching a similar improvement in quality seen at Château Saint-Pierre, just next-door. The 2010 vintage was the one which really opened my eyes to a new level of quality here; this was a great wine. The 2009 had been excellent, as indeed were many other wines in this opulent, open and modern-styled vintage, but the 2010 was uncharted territory for this estate. It is a wine any fan of the left bank should have considered for their cellar. I know I did.
More recent vintages have not always been so favourable weather-wise. The 2015 and maybe even the 2014 vintages might eclipse 2012 given time, although 2011 was on form. But then came some seriously good vintages, with 2016 being particularly impressive, along with a trio of delicious wines made in 2018, 2019 and 2020. The wine that really knocked it out of the park though, harking back to that fabulous 2010, was the 2022 vintage, a rich and tannin-wrapped delight. The 2023 vintage, somewhat overlooked, was not far behind, although the 2025 simmers with potential. At the time of writing, however, I still need to revisit it once it has been bottled.
The wines remain, despite this raised level of quality in recent vintages, relatively good value (relative for Bordeaux, of course), the prices perhaps kept in check by the lack of classed growth heritage and the Triaud family’s awareness that they need to keep prices real, and sales buoyant. Wise drinkers should, I think, take advantage of this fact. (4/9/00, updated 7/3/07, 2/3/17, 21/8/26)
