2018 Château Gloria, St-Julien

The 2018 Gloria is deep garnet-purple colored and gives up expressive notions of warm red and black currants, black cherries and boysenberries with hints of spice cake, cedar chest, pencil lead and menthol. Full-bodied with a firm texture of ripe, grainy tannins, it has a lively line cutting through the dense, savory layers, finishing on a lingering spicy note. The blend is currently 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot and 3% Cabernet Franc. Anticipated aging is for 14 months in oak barriques, 40% new.

Gloria is fast becoming one of the most exciting insider wines of the entire Bordeaux region, and that rare species of a non-classified St-Julien. The fruit here is brambly, textured and autumnal, and again the alcohol seems generous but balanced, with plenty of St-Julien finesse. It has a feeling of not needing to go too far to convince anyone. This is some austerity here but there's a bounce to the tannins through the mid-palate, while the alcohol is clearly there but not dominant, helped I would expect by relatively generous yields of 46hl/ha. Very good quality. 5% Cabernet Franc makes up the blend. 50% new oak.

This is a tight and linear red, showing dark berries and blueberries with cedar with flowers. Full-bodied and foursquare. Framed and focused.

The 2018 Gracia, from a tiny 1.83 hectare vineyard in Saint-Émilion's Saint-Christophe-des-Bardes sector, is dense and explosive in the glass. Blackberry jam, smoke, chocolate, leather, licorice and iron give the 2018 its powerful, super-concentrated feel. Ripeness and intensity are pushed to the edge in a dense, plush Saint-Émilion loaded with character. The 2018 is a blend of 70% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. This is a terrific showing from proprietor Michael Gracia and consulting winemaker Jean-Philippe Fort. Tasted two times.