CHAPTER II.
FROM ONE HECTARE, A KINGDOM
Realising that he could only ever compete with the Grands Crus if he had terroir as great as theirs, he set himself a single rule: whenever possible, to purchase vineyards from classified growths.
And so, in the late 1930s, Henri begins to set his dreams in motion. In spite of a viticulture system still fragile and unsettled after the shock of the Great War, and Europe on the brink of yet another devastating conflict, he makes his first vineyard purchase of a single hectare of vines.
Soon after, in 1942, he brought Château Gloria to light, in reference to the extraordinary choir of diverse vineyard voices he imagines assembling and unifying.
He marks this moment by expanding his holdings, with his first major purchase of six hectares from a Grand Cru Classé.
A man, a mission
The Gloria project promises to bring festivity, optimism and joy back to Saint-Julien at a period of great uncertainty and post-war gloom.
By 1955, Château Gloria comprises vineyards from seven different classified growths, four of them listed in the second rank in 1855, just behind those wines many connoisseurs consider to be the four greatest in the world.
As the market for fine wine begins to recover and France benefits from a thirty-year streak of economic growth, known as the Trente Glorieuses, Gloria goes from strength to strength.
Through a combination of shrewd acquisitions and endless re-investment of all profits into his vineyards, Henri earns a reputation as a leader.
His tireless devotion leads to him being elected President of the Interprofessional Committee of Bordeaux Wines in 1956, and appointed to administer the estate of Château Latour when new ownership takes over in 1963.
Gloria creates wine of rare charm and generosity, with a bright red and black-berry fruit core of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.
Creamy and silk-like in texture, it conveys the rich perfume of Saint-Julien with powerful structure
and energy.
The estate’s 50-hectare vineyard is the most expansive in Saint-Julien, threading across this appellation’s 11 classified growths.
An uncommon diversity of soils and micro-climates is the secret to Gloria’s harmonious and consistent voice, which sings out in every blend, vintage after vintage.
The Gloria vineyard obtains organic certification with the 2024 vintage.
Château Gloria is a charming wine, creamy, generous, harmonious, cheerful, lively, fragrant, with red and black berries, silky, spicy, supple and playful.
