Bel-Air Gloria Haut Médoc 2018

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. We tasted and loved a sample of the 2018, an accessible, delicious wine with a tasty finish and a friendly price tag.

The nose is deep and lovely with notes of violets and tobacco; the mouth is punchy and delicious with classy tannins that avoid the 2018 trap of overripeness. Neal Martin of Vinous writes, “Not amazingly complex, but it will slip down the throat easily.”