Henri Martin's achievement in his lifetime was to built up a renowned chateau in the Bordeaux. He built it from scratch, vineyard by vineyard, by negotiating with his friends who owned vineyards in Saint-Julien and buying various parcels of superbly situated Günzian gravel terroirs, to eventually create the Château Gloria estate.
This was a remarkable feat, considering that the Saint-Julien vineyards almost all belong to the appellation's 11 "grands crus classes (1855)." The estate now spans 50 hectares, mostly "cru classé" terroirs, some of which are among the most renowned St. Julien estates.
The grape varieties are a classic left bank Bordeaux mix: Cabernet Sauvignon (65%), Merlot (25%), Cabernet Franc (5%) and Petit Verdot (5%). The harvest is done manually, vinification in stainless steel, temperature controlled tanks.The maturing is done casks (40% new) for 14 months.
So why isn’t Château Gloria a cru classé itself? The answer is straightforward: it did not exist at the time of the 1855 classification.
Chateau Gloria is regarded as a premium quality estate by professional wine reviewers and wine lovers. Recent vintages score without exception 90+ points by James Suckling and Robert Parker.
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