With grilling season here on our doorstep, we’re thrilled to have a new punchy Bordeaux red in stock. The Chateau Bel Air Gloria comes from the owners of Chateau Gloria in St-Julien. The blend is 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23 Merlot, and 2 Cabernet Franc, grown on gravel ridges with clay subsoils on the outskirts of St-Julien.
Neal Martin of Vinous summed this wine up nicely, finding in the 2018 “a light but pleasant nose of blackberry, cedar, and wild hedgerow….the palate is clean and supple on the entry, offering blackberry and raspberry fruit laced with licorice.” He concludes “this is not amazingly complex, but it will slip down the throat easily.”
The last point we can confirm first hand. The wine shows just the right amount of tannin – enough to bolster the juicy fruit, but softened to make it deliciously gulpable. Serve this a bit cool with simple burgers and vegetables from the grill.
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Bel Air Gloria Haut-Médoc 2018
bottle price: $25