Red Wine Chateau Gloria 2018. Decant 1 hour before serving. Chateau Gloria is an up-and-coming Bordeaux estate that’s gained a committed following for its accessible yet ageworthy wines. Despite its unclassified status, this St-Julien property easily rivals more prestigious chateaux thanks to the vision and foresight of Henri Martin who took over the estate in 1942. Henri bought up promising vineyards from renowned wineries like Talbot, Lagrange and Léoville-Barton, and by the mid 1960s he had some 50 hectares dispersed across the appellation. Today the property is run by Henri’s son-in-law Jean-Louis Triaud who is also in charge of the family’s other estates including the Grand Cru Chateau St. Pierre. Their Grand Vin is primarily composed of Cabernet Sauvignon along with a smaller proportion of Merlot and a drop of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. The young wine is aged in 40% new French oak barrels for 14 months prior to bottling. Chateau Gloria tends to be a lighter, more elegant expression of St-Julien than some of its neighbours, although it still has an opulent dark fruit core and is best kept in the cellar for several years following the vintage. On the nose there are luscious notes of cassis, blackberry and dark cherry which are kept in check on the palate by a gentle streak of acidity, firm tannins and a well-developed structure.
2018
Red Wine Chateau Gloria 2018
Red Wine Chateau Malescot Saint Exupery 2018. Marguax is not short of exemplary chateaux like this historic estate which dates back to 1697 when it was originally founded by the Escousses family. The property is named after two historic owners, Maitre Simon Malescot who was an advisor to King Louis XIV and Jean-Baptiste Saint-Exupery, the great-grandfather of the famous aviator Antoine de Saint-Exupery. Since the 1950s it’s been owned by the Zuger family who have succeeded in building up the vineyard holdings from just 7 hectares to 30 hectares today. They also undertook extensive renovations of the property and cellars, equipping the chateau to produce top quality wines which are appreciated by Bordeaux lovers across the world. This is their iconic cuvee that’s typically made from around 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, and a dash of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Following vinification according to traditional techniques, the young wine is matured in 100% new French oak barrels for 12-14 months depending on the vintage. The result is a powerful, ageworthy Margaux with a complex, multi-layered flavour profile combining rich dark fruit from the Merlot with hints of spice, leather, and wood shavings on the long finish.
2018
Red Wine Chateau Meyney 2018. It is recommended to decant it for half an hour. Close to Montrose, Château Meyney benefits from a first-class terroir on the edge of the Gironde: silica gravel on a vein of blue clay which gives the wine its exceptional dimension. The 51 hectares of vineyards are made up of 60% Cabernet-Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, and 15% Petit-Verdot, a singular proportion in Saint-Estèphe which gives the wine freshness. The first Meyney vines were planted in 1662 by the Feuillant Fathers. Since 2004 the estate has been owned by the Crédit Agricole Grands Crus. Today the Chateau is under the technical direction of Anne Le Naour, with the advice of oenologist Denis Dubourdieu, and it’s currently experiencing an extraordinary renaissance. They are creating powerful wines, with dense and firm tannins, which offer an intense and persuasive fruit that evolves towards spice, leather, and musk with age. The wine is a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon , 25% Merlot , and 15% Petit Verdot, from an average of 40 years old vines. It spends 17 months in French barrels. Chateau Meney shows a shiny ruby color. The nose is powerful and opulent, becoming more delicate and balanced with aging. On the palate there are notes of blackberry and graphite with a slight smokiness that lingers on the palate. It shows an excellent aging potential. Try it with rabbit stew, veal head, or pork ribs.
2018