Smoky with flavors of the wood aging, this wine is also rich and concentrated with firm tannins. Situated just inland from Saint-Julien and made by the owners of Château Gloria, the vineyard has produced a full wine with a serious structure and dark black fruitiness. Drink this ageworthy wine from 2024.

The 2016 Bel Air Gloria has a classic cedar and tobacco scented bouquet, coiled up at first but unwinding nicely with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin that lend this a smooth texture. The acidity is nicely judged and, though the finish displays a tad too much new oak, that will be assimilated with bottle age. Cellar for two or three years. Tasted at the Cru Bourgeois tasting in London.

The 2016 Bel Air Gloria (titled Château Bel Air until the 2014 vintage and changed because they are so numerous) has plenty of earthy black fruit on the nose, a little rustic perhaps but with decent fruit concentration. The palate is supple in the mouth with fine acidity, tobacco infusing the black fruit with a well balanced and quite supple finish. Enjoy this well-made Haut-Médoc from the Château Gloria team over the next 7-10 years.