#63 Wine Spectator Top 100 (2018 edition - 2015 vintage)
Certified Organic!
96-Points by Vinous, Jeb Dunnuck & James Suckling.
The 2022 Gloria was picked from 12-26 September and matured in 40% new oak, slightly less than the Saint-Pierre. It has a perfumed, floral nose with crushed violet infusing the black cherry and blueberry fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with sumptuous tannins that belie the structure underneath. With pure fruit and well-judged acidity, this 2022 is sensual with a persistent and lightly spiced finish. Superb!
A blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc and 9% Petit Verdot
 
96-Points by Jeb Dunnuck
A gem in the vintage is going to be the 2022 Château Gloria, which comes from 50 hectares of vines and is 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc, and the rest Petit Verdot. Harvested between September 14 and 26, with yields of 34 hectoliters per hectare, it offers an inky purple hue to go with medium to full-bodied aromas and flavors of crème de cassis, ripe black cherries, spicy oak, and graphite. Hitting 13.8% alcohol and aging in 60% new French oak, it's a pure, layered, elegant yet concentrated Saint-Julien that readers will love. Tasted twice.
 
95-Points By James Suckling
A linear and very fine wine with blackberry, blueberry and currant character. Hints of cedar and stone. Medium to full body. Linear and fine finish. Very well done.
 
Château Gloria is a wine estate in the Saint-Julien appellation of the Médoc wine region, just north of Bordeaux city, on the so-called "Left Bank" of the Gironde Estuary. The estate did not feature in the official Bordeaux Classification of 1855 as it was formed nearly 100 years later through the acquisition of numerous plots from classed growths including Beychevelle, Léoville-Barton and Gruaud-Larose.
The estate is regularly praised for its consistent performance and widely regarded by critics as being worthy of cru classé status. Its vineyards cover roughly 50 hectares (124 acres) across several plots including in the Beychevelle region (and estate), in the north on the border with Pauillac, and in the west of the appellation.
The soils are primarily composed of gravel over clay and sand, and plantings are 65 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 25 percent Merlot, and 5 percent each of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.
Château Gloria harvests grapes by hand, and fermentation takes place in temperature-controlled stainless steel vats. The wine is then typically aged for 14 months in casks, with around 40 percent new oak.
The estate is reasonably young by Bordeaux standards, and was established in 1942 when Henri Martin bought a plot of land and added to it over the years. As well as the châteaux already mentioned, Martin also bought sections from (among others) châteaux Talbot, Léoville Poyferré, and Léoville Barton.
Martin was leading figure in the Bordeaux wine trade in the decades following the Second World War. Post-war, he was influential in resurrecting the convivial wine trade association, the Commanderie du Bontemps du Médoc, and by the mid-1950s, he was the head of the Bordeaux wine trade body, the CIVB (Conseil Interprofessional des vins de Bordeaux).
The estate is now run by Henri's daughter Françoise, alongside her husband Jean-Louis Triaud and their children, Vanessa and Jean (and their spouses). Gloria is part of the Domaines Henri Martin portfolio, including Château Saint-Pierre.
Château Gloria produces a second wine, Esprit de Gloria. The Domaines Henri Martin also includes Château Bel Air Gloria, an Haut-Médoc property based in Cussac, just south of the Saint-Julien appellation.