‘This has got to be the best-value big name in St-Julien,’ says Jane Anson. Gloria is a chateau with an unusual history. it was pieced together from 1939 onwards by Henri Martin, with its reputation well-established within a generation. Martin bought plots exclusively from 1855-classified estates, and as a result Gloria enjoys some extremely good terroir. This lies over three main blocks, and the diversity of soils in the appellation, from deep gravel all the way to a clay-sand mix. The vineyards are planted to 65 per cent Cabernet Sauvignon, 25 per cent Merlot and 5 per cent Petit Verdot. A very smart new winery came fully online in 2016. Officially Gloria is not a classed growth, but it is easily on the level of many. (NT 11/08/23)