CHÂTEAU GLORIA
2019 Cru Bourgeois Saint Julien
Delicious. Rich and poised. Attractive, succulent and well spiced nose - leads to a really well shaped, concentrated mouthful. Rich and broad, loaded with ripe blackberries and firm plum flesh - but with a line of brightness. This has energy and a slight eucalyptus bounce that with the spice makes the plush fruit so moreish. Gloria lovers will not be disappointed with this very good effort. One for every cellar! 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Melot, 6% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot & just 45% New Oak.L&S (Jun 2020)
* This is a pre-shipment/primeur offer. All orders are accepted under the TERMS of this offer which differ from the terms of the rest of the site.
The 2019 Gloria has a compelling nose: black fruit, crushed rocks, tobacco and very subtle marine scents that are all beautifully combined. Perhaps the most precise and delineated nose among an impressive array of Saint-Julien's this year. The palate is medium-bodied with a lively opening. A touch of soy infuses the black fruit; fine-boned with wonderful sapidity on the finish. Extraordinary length. Serious. Tasted blind at the Southwold annual tasting. Drinking range: 2027 - 2060 Rating: 96 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Feb 2023)
So good, this is a vibrant mix of young and exuberant, luxurious, seriously creamy in texture, crushed stone, baked earth, smoked caramel, damson, sweet blackberry and damson fruits. This is pure pleasure, hard to resist. 45% new oak, 40hl/ha yield, harvest September 23 to October 4. Remi di Constanzo technical director. Drinking range: 2029 - 2046 Rating: 95 Jane Anson, Decanter (Jan 2023)
The 2019 Gloria is a powerful, brooding Saint-Julien. Sweet red cherry, iron, dried flowers, menthol, herbs and cedar lend quite a bit of character. In 2019, Gloria is defined by its intensely feral personality and tannins. Perhaps time will help. Today, Gloria does not appear to be quite the charmer that it can be. Drinking range: 2024 - 2036 Rating: 91 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Feb 2022)
The 2019 Gloria personifies classic Saint-Julien, offering blackberry, wild hedgerow, cedar and tobacco scents, maybe a little conservative in style, but unashamed about that. The palate is medium-bodied with fine, quite firm tannins. Fresh and saline, this gets the saliva going with a precise, persistent finish and leaves hints of graphite on the aftertaste. Excellent. Drinking range: 2025 - 2050 Rating: 94 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Feb 2022)
Rock-solid, with a mouthwatering roasted apple wood and mesquite frame around a well-layered core of black currant, blackberry and plum fruit flavors. The finish features dots of tobacco and tar that add range but the real driver is a long bolt of iron, which gives this a throwback feel. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Best from 2025 through 2038.—J.M. Rating: 94 James Molesworth, The Wine Spectator (Jan 2022)
Deep purple-black colored, the 2019 Gloria comes bounding out of the glass with all the energy of a new puppy, featuring notes of baked plums, black cherry preserves and warm cassis plus hints of spice box, pencil lead, woodsmoke and dried mint. Medium to full-bodied (the alcohol states 14.2%), the palate is packed with juicy black fruit flavors, framed by approachable, ripe, grainy tannins and just enough freshness, finishing pleasantly earthy. Rating: 91-93 Lisa Perrotti-Brown, RobertParker.com (Jun 2020)
The 2019 Gloria continues a strong run of form - those rustic Glorias of the 1970s and 1980s are a distant memory. This has a precise and detailed bouquet that offers blackberry, briary, cedar and light tobacco aromas that gently unfurl in the glass. The palate is very well structured with a lovely citric undercurrent lending freshness and sharpness. This is a nimble Saint-Julien, athletic in build with a sapid finish that urges you back for another sip. Excellent. Drinking range: 2025 - 2050 Rating: 93-95 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Jun 2020)
A firm, chewy red with blackberries, earth and hints of chocolate. It’s full-bodied and very structured. Better than the 2018. Rating: 94-95 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (May 2020)
Another winning velvety texture out of St Julien. You can trace the warmth and generosity of the vintage in the concentration and the ripeness of these blackberry and raspberry fruits but it is so seductive and carefully balanced with a core of freshness and a ton of crushed stone, black chocolate and baked earth adding layers and interest. This should be good value and is a definite buy. So much character and personality, right up there with the best vintages of this property. 40% new oak, 5% Petit Verdot completes the blend. Drinking range: 2026 - 2042 Rating: 94 Jane Anson, Decanter (May 2020)
Château Gloria
Château Gloria is an unclassified St-Julien property that produces clarets that equal in quality those from the more prestigious classed growths. Henri Martin, a cooper by upbringing, took over the property in 1942 and began purchasing plots of vineyards from classed growth properties such as Gruaud-Larose, Talbot, Lagrange and Léoville-Barton. By the mid 1960s he had 50 hectares spread across the appellation. In 1982 he purchased Château St-Pierre and thus realised his lifetime ambition of owning a Grand Cru Classé property. Henri Martin died in 1991 and Gloria is now run by his son-in-law Jean-Louis Triaud. The wine is a blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot. It is aged in a combination of large oak foudres and small oak barrels (50% new). Gloria produces a wine that is typically deep in colour and rich, cassis-laden and cedary on the palate. It normally needs 7-10 years of bottle age to show at its best.
Please make sure that you have read the terms of this offer which are different from those on the main website. If you are unclear as to what is involved in primeur purchases please do contact our private client team via email or on 020 7018 0187.
Ordering
Prices are all in bond by the case size stated.
Pre-Orders are a firm commitment to buy wines on release, as long as the release price is within the upper and lower price bands set by you on the pre-order form. Pre-orders will be fulfilled subject to availability but providing this firm commitment to buy effectively gives you priority and is a good idea for the most desirable wines.
Wines listed on the website can be ordered in the usual way via the website wishlist order form. You can also send orders directly to our private client team via email. Please note that, for the most sought-after wines, priority will be given to those who ordered the same wines last year and to those that have pre-ordered.
Confirmation
All orders will be confirmed by email and are binding unless written cancellation is received within seven days of email confirmation. Pre-orders are not binding if the release price is above your upper price band.
Invoices are all raised at the in bond price (excluding any duty and VAT) which will become payable at the prevailing rates when the wines arrive in the UK, should you wish to take duty paid delivery.
Payment is required on sight of invoice, by cash, cheque, debit card or bank transfer. We regret we cannot accept credit cards for en primeur orders. We reserve the right to apply a dunning charge of 2% per month on invoices unpaid after 30 days.
Delivery
- Shipment to our bond (at LCB Creek Road) and insurance are included in the in bond price.
- Delivery is free to Lea and Sandeman / Elephant storage accounts, both duty paid and in bond.
- Other deliveries (In Bond and Duty Paid) are also free subject to a minimum order from the offer of £500. Orders below this total will be charged an administration and handling fee of £16.50+ VAT when invoices are issued. We will group deliveries and this is a charge for your entire purchases, not a per-case charge.
- Delivery of 2023 Bordeaux bought en primeur is expected during 2026. Delivery dates may vary as wines are shipped from Bordeaux at different times.
Practical notes - how it works
We start a sale in each customer's name and add all their primeur orders to one sale which is invoiced at the end of the campaign (or when the customer wishes). Immediate payment of invoices is then required by cash, cheque, debit card or bank transfer. We and our customers find that having a single invoice for the vintage is the simpler option but please note that confirmed orders are still binding even if the final invoice has not yet been issued.
Please specify on your wishlist order form where you would like the wines shipped on arrival in the UK. If this is to a third-party bonded warehouse, please specify the relevant account details. If the wines are required duty-paid we will issue a second invoice for duty and VAT at the prevailing rate when the wines are available for delivery.
Half-bottles, Magnums and larger bottles.
One of the additional advantages of buying en primeur is being able to order the wine in the format you want. While most of our listings are for 75cl bottles, we can source wines in any format that is offered by the Château. Please note that format requests cannot be changed once wines have been invoiced. Additional charges for special formats do apply and are as follows:-
- +£18.00 per case of 12 half-bottles
- +£30.00 per case of 24 half-bottles
- +£7.50 per case of 3 Magnums (2 bottles equivalent, 1.5 litres each)
- +£11.00 per case of 6 Magnums
- +£45.00 per individually boxed Double Magnum (4 bottles equivalent, 3 litres)
- +£60.00 per individually boxed Imperial (8 bottles equivalent, 6 litres) for Salmanazars, Balthazars, Nebuchadnezzars and Melchiors please enquire for availability and price.
Storage Options:
Wines bought en primeur won't arrive in the UK until 2026. If you do not wish to take home delivery at that point, you may wish to consider where you would like the wines shipped. Lea & Sandeman offers duty paid and in bond storage through a dedicated storage company called Elephant Storage. For more details on the terms and fees associated with storage please go to our Storage Homepage or contact our private client team for more information.