2002 Chateau Gloria Saint Julien Cru Bourgeois

2002 Chateau Gloria

I wanted to put Chateau Gloria 2002 to undergo a stress test, as 2002 was a poor vintage in Bordeaux due to being a watershed year, and the weather was particularly unfriendly to Merlot, and Chateau Gloria 2002 was composed of 25% Merlot. I took a whiff and a sip upon opening the bottle; if I’m a wine critic based upon the first pour, I would have rated it probably 7.75 stars as the vegetal, stalky and capsicum nose was really prominent, while the content was raw and green, really poor. However, I stress many times in the past about Bordeaux, decanting time is really key to enjoy a good bottle of Bordeaux. This one I gave it one hour, and all the negative characters disappeared and replaced with a rather elegant and easy-going style. A very drinkable wine after all. As such, I think Chateau Gloria deserves a lot of attention as it consistently punches above its weight by showing top-notch quality. (2/2024)