Château Gloria Saint-Julien 2018

The Wine Independent : 94 Points

(2/9/2023) The 2018 Gloria is deep garnet-purple in color. It gallops out with energetic notes of redcurrants, wild blueberries, and warm cassis, plus hints of rose oil, licorice, and tar. Full-bodied, the palate is jam-packed with black fruit layers, framed by ripe, velvety tannins and just enough freshness, finishing long and lifted. Drinking: 2023-2042.

Jeb Dunnuck : 94 Points

(3/11/2021) A youthful, unevolved 2018 with lots of up-front blue and black fruits as well as cedary herbs, violets, and scorched earth, the 2018 Château Gloria is medium to full-bodied and has a beautifully balanced, elegant mouthfeel, ripe tannins, and both richness and freshness. The purity of fruit is spot on. It's another brilliant wine from this estate that readers will love. It's going to benefit from 2-4 years in the cellar and cruise for two decades in cold cellars. Maturity: 2023 - 2043.

Wine Enthusiast : 94 Points

(5/1/2021) This wine has all the structured intensity and ripe fruitiness of a Saint-Julien. At the same time, it displays a light touch with the black fruits and open texture, promising an attractive wine. Drink the wine from 2026.

James Suckling : 94 Points

(1/8/2021) A full-bodied red with a dense, juicy palate of blueberries and blackcurrants. Some black tea and tree bark, too. Tight yet long and linear finish. Very structured and polished. Drink after 2024.

Vinous - Neal Martin : 93 Points

(3/2021) The 2018 Gloria has turned out beautifully. Medium in body, with terrific balance and tons of class, Gloria will especially appeal to readers in search of a wine that is not super-exuberant, as so many 2018s are. Bright floral notes, blood orange and red berry fruit all run through this wonderfully expressive Saint-Julien. Give the tannins at least a few years to soften. Drinking Window: 2024 - 2050.

Decanter : 93 Points

(4/2/2019) Gloria is fast becoming one of the most exciting insider wines of the entire Bordeaux region, and that rare species of a non-classified St-Julien. The fruit here is brambly, textured and autumnal, and again the alcohol seems generous but balanced, with plenty of St-Julien finesse. It has a feeling of not needing to go too far to convince anyone. This is some austerity here but there's a bounce to the tannins through the mid-palate, while the alcohol is clearly there but not dominant, helped I would expect by relatively generous yields of 46hl/ha. Very good quality. 5% Cabernet Franc makes up the blend. 50% new oak. Drinking Window: 2027 - 2040.