CHÂTEAU GLORIA
2022 Cru Bourgeois Saint Julien
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. Drinking range: 2029 - 2060 Rating: 94-96 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (May 2023)
* 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.
50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 9% Petit Verdot, 6% Cabernet Franc. This is a red-fruited style, which is somewhat surprising given the recipe, and even though the oak is reasonably strident, there is plenty of ripeness here to carry the flavour along at a brisk pace. Open and conversational, this is a decent Gloria, and if you can give the oak five years to settle and integrate, it will be a rather stylish and tasty wine. Rating: 17+ Matthew Jukes www.matthewjukes.com (May 2023)
This 2022 is particularly successuful from this estate. It has the usual depth and stylishness, but has added admirable brightness to the flavours since the oak has taken the back seat. The texture on the finish is especially refined. Rating: 92-94 La Revue du Vin de France (May 2023)
Dark, smoky and toasted, with sweet cranberry and blackberry fruit, this blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 9% Petit Verdot and 6% Cabernet Franc also presents a rather hard and sooty aromatic suggestion. The palate feels lightly spread out, and through the middle an imposing grip of tobacco-laced tannins begins to emerge, which then come to dominate the finish in a sappy, puckering fashion. The fruit here feels tight and primary right now, the structure rather dominant, leading to a finish laden with tannin, which lingers on and on, gripping the palate. A good result in the context of the vintage, I am sure, but it is going to need a long time to come around. The alcohol is 13.8%. Rating: 90-92 Chris Kissack, www.thewinedoctor.com (May 2023)
50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 9% Petit Verdot, 6% Cabernet Franc. Cask sample. Dark and spicy with a generous amount of gourmand fruit. Freshness for balance and fine but firm tannins providing persistence. Smooth texture. As is often the case, punches above its weight. (JL) 13.8% Drinking range: 2028 - 2042 Rating: 17 James Lawther MW, www.JancisRobinson.com (May 2023)
Intense with a bright plum colour, spicy, dark fruits, coffee bean and cocoa, this is almost heading towards overdone but it pulls back, leans into the vintatge and is very much on point with estate signature. It has texture and depth, a little overly concentrated through the mid palate but shows the restraint that comes with the pummic stone texture of St Julien tannins. One to watch over ageing. In biodynamic conversion. Rating: 92 Jane Anson, www.janeanson.com (May 2023)
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. Rating: 94-95 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (May 2023)
A blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc and 9% Petit Verdot, the 2022 Gloria bursts with aromas of cherries, sweet berries, petals and spices, framed by a deft touch of creamy new oak. Medium to full-bodied, rich and fleshy, with a succulent, enveloping core of fruit and supple tannins, it's a gourmand but nicely balanced Saint-Julien that will offer a broad drinking window. Rating: 91-93 William Kelley, The Wine Advocate (Apr 2023)
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 2024 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.