Château Gloria Château Gloria Saint-Julien 2020 750ml

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.

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. (NM)

This is poised and elegant with notes of bitter chocolate, crushed walnuts, black peppercorns, blackberries and blackcurrants. It’s medium-bodied with silky tannins and layers of fresh black fruit. Classy. Try from 2026. (James Suckling)

The 2023 Gloria is a total delight. Medium in body and vibrant, with terrific energy, the 2023 is seriously impressive. It is easily one of the sleepers of this vintage. Blood orange, crushed flowers and cinnamon weave through a core of red-toned fruit. There's a fair amount of Merlot in the blend, which adds to the wine's open-knit character. What a total delight.

Just about a perennial must-buy, the 2020 Château Gloria is another terrific vintage for this Saint-Julien château, which always seems to turn out a fabulous wine that sells for a great price. Sporting a deep purple hue as well as impressive aromatics of ripe blackcurrants, plums, camphor, smoked tobacco, and gravelly earth, it’s a wine that blossoms with time in the glass. (I followed this bottle for multiple days.) Medium to full-bodied on the palate, it has beautifully polished tannins, outstanding balance, and the more focused style of the vintage. Tasted twice with consistent notes. (Jeb Dunnuck)

Youthfully taut and well-structured, with singed apple wood and licorice root notes holding a core of red currant, dark plum and blackberry fruit in check for now. Reveals a nice racy graphite underpinning on the finish. One for the cellar. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2026 through 2038. (James Molesworth)

Coming from a blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 10% Petit Verdot, and 5% Cabernet Franc aged in 38% new barrels (the balance in second- and third-fill), the 2023 Château Gloria is a classic Saint-Julien with real purity and finesse. Ripe blue fruits, cherries, leafy tobacco, and spicy wood notes all shine on the nose, and it's medium-bodied on the palate, with a pure, layered, elegant mouthfeel, soft, polished tannins, and considerable charm and accessibility. Drink this lovely Saint-Julien over the coming 15-20 years. Tasted multiple times with consistent notes. Drink 2026-2045.

Rich, generous and demonstrative, the 2020 Gloria bursts with aromas of cherries, sweet berries, plum liqueur and cigar wrapper. Medium to full-bodied, fleshy and generous, it will offer a broad drinking window. (William Kelley)