Château Gloria, St Julien, 2016
We're normally admirers of Henri Martin's St Juliens: Gloria and St Pierre. They are made in a unique style, but often offer lots of hedonistic fruit and toasty oak, and succeed. The 2016s appear to be a little over the top and pumped up. It feels like the extractions went a bit too far and the tannins are overly dry and bitter. We'll see... 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot.
critic reviews
Plum colour, with spiced damson and raspberry leaf aromatics. A good few years from being truly open and ready to drink, this is nevertheless superbly enjoyable, even if closed in. Unrolls to show waves of cocoa bean, dark chocolate shavings, espresso, crushed rocks, bilberry and blackcurrant fruits. The chewy tannins are confident and dominating the structure, exerting quiet control over the shape and form of the palate. Bursting with poential. 40% new oak, with one of the latest harvests in the vertical, running from September 29 to October 17. Remi di Constanzo technical director.
The 2016 Gloria is noticeably deeper in color than its peers. It has a charming bouquet of blackberry, briar, brown spices and touches of sandalwood, complex and developing loamy elements with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins and a fine bead of acidity. Quite mineral-driven, leading into a composed, precise finish that indicates careful winemaking from great terroir. Superb. Tasted blind at the Southwold tasting.