2015 - Gloria, Saint-Julien

This style of vintage really suits Gloria, with its cheerful, exuberant character, silky tannins and clear power. You'll find plenty of precision and bite through the blueberry and cassis fruits, excellent quality, bright, bristling and full of life. The signature of St Julien comes through, and this is softly spoken but with quiet confidence, layering on slate and gunsmoke edges on the finish. 40% new oak, harvest September 21 to October 7. Remi di Constanzo technical director.

The 2015 Gloria is another Saint-Julien that has improved over the last 12 months. It has a bolder and more exuberant bouquet than some of its peers, featuring lush blackberry and blueberry fruit and revealing a touch of iodine and crushed violet with aeration. The medium-bodied palate displays supple tannin, a fine bead of acidity and very pure fruit intensity (black cherries, bilberry and boysenberry), although it clams shut toward the finish. Slightly more modern in style than its peers, this should still age with style. Tasted blind at the Southwold 2015 Bordeaux tasting.

The 2015 Gloria is medium to deep garnet in color. It has a nose of baked plums and boysenberries with an undercurrent of chocolate-covered cherries and spice cake, plus a hint of Sichuan pepper. Medium-bodied, the palate is plush and juicy with plenty of freshness and a peppery kick to the finish.

The 2015 Gloria is even better than it was from barrel. Dark, voluptuous and intense, the 2015 hits all the right notes. Black cherry, plum, spice, gravel, tobacco and cedar give the wine much of its complexity and nuance. Gloria is one of the very finest

The 2015 Gloria was corked. Tasted blind at the 2015 Bordeaux Ten-Year-On tasting.