CHÂTEAU GLORIA
2021 Cru Bourgeois Saint Julien
Charming and extroverted, the 2021 Gloria bursts with aromas of cassis, cherries, sweet berries, fresh mint and loamy soil. Medium to full-bodied, ample and fleshy, it's a lively, seamless wine that wears its heart on its sleeve. This blend of 61% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot, 14% Petit Verdot and 6% Cabernet Franc seems likely to emerge as a sleeper of the vintage. Tasted four times. Rating: 90-92 William Kelley, The Wine Advocate (May 2022)
* 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.
Always a wine that manages to find itself on the right side of ripe, and the right side of exuberant and even in 2021 you will recognise those two skills here. This is bright, cheerful, carefully placed, enjoyable stuff with liqourice and bitter chocolate, First year organic, Jean Michel Comme consultant. Harvest September 27 to October 9. Drinking range: 2025 - 2036 Rating: 91 Jane Anson, www.janeanson.com (May 2022)
61 Cabernet Sauvignon, 19 Merlot, 14 Petit Verdot, 6 Cabernet Franc | 54% new oak | 13.1% alc | 35 hl/ha There is a large percentage of Petit Verdot in this wine, and it serves to add colour, depth and impact. However, I wonder if it has also taken away a little elegance? While there is an impressive fanfare on the nose and palate, there is not quite as much behind the façade, and the reasonably short finish marks this is a good wine but not a keeper. Rating: 16 Matthew Jukes www.matthewjukes.com (Jun 2022)
I like the firmness and polish to this, with medium body, creamy tannins and a delicious finish. Racy and refined. Rating: 92-93 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (May 2022)
The 2021 Gloria is the first vintage where the vineyard farming has moved to organic viticulture (though there are no plans for certification.) It was picked from September 27 to October 9, stopping for 5 days between the Merlot and Cabernets, with a large percentage (14%) of Petit Verdot from a massal selection. It has a very pure and perfumed nose thanks to the contribution of the Petit Verdot. The palate is medium-bodied and quite dense for the vintage, displaying fine body and weight, gentle grip and a touch of graphite toward the finish. Very fine. Drinking range: 2027 - 2045 Rating: 91-93 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (May 2022)
The 2021 Gloria is charming, as it so often is. Bright and energetic, the 2019 has so much to offer. The purity of the red-toned fruit is so appealing. Gloria can show some hard edges when it is young, but the 2021 is very nicely balanced for a young Saint-Julien. Drinking range: 2028 - 2041 Rating: 90-92 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (May 2022)
Always a wine that manages to find itself on the right side of ripe, and the right side of exuberant and even in 2021 you will recognise those two skills here. This is bright, cheerful, carefully placed, enjoyable stuff with liqourice and bitter chocolate, First year organic, Jean Michel Comme consultant. Harvest September 27 to October 9. Drinking range: 2025 - 2036 Rating: 91 Jane Anson, Decanter (May 2022)
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.