Your opinions please

A few days ago I located a mag of 1996 Ch. Gloria St. Julian Bordeaux. It has a little bit of stain on the label, and the capsule is stuck tighter than Dick's hat band. I understand that these are indicators of seepage, but there is no evidence of a pushed cork, so I bought it at the close out price of $29.99 which I am sure makes it a bargain. This store (my BAWS) has a policy of buyer beware on closeouts, but the manager did tell me that if it was obviously a bad spoiled wine then he would take care of it for me. So, barring it just being OTH, looks like I found my wine for Christmas dinner. If anyone has sampled this vintage of Gloria, I sure would like to hear from you.

[David M. Bueker]

For $30 I would take the flyer. 1996 is starting to drink well at the lower levels, so you should be in good shape.

For $30 I would take the flyer. 1996 is starting to drink well at the lower levels, so you should be in good shape.

Does that mean he should only drink it near sea level, or while laying flat.....

I like the 1996 Gloria quite a bit. It needs no further cellaring, so I'd be tempted to opo it and see.

[David M. Bueker]

For $30 I would take the flyer. 1996 is starting to drink well at the lower levels, so you should be in good shape.

Does that mean he should only drink it near sea level, or while laying flat.....

I like the 1996 Gloria quite a bit. It needs no further cellaring, so I'd be tempted to opo it and see.

Well if he drinks the whole thing he will be laying flat.

Well if he drinks the whole thing he will be laying flat.

Say it isn't so! Bob - he is calling you a girlie man!

I'm sure Bob can pace himself..... (I agree that one bottle per person over an evening is normal max and can only gaze on in wonder at those who post notes indicating Johnsonian capacity.)

[David M. Bueker]

I can do 2 bottles, but then dinner had better last 5 hours & I had better sleep over.

I can do 2 bottles, but then dinner had better last 5 hours & I had better sleep over.

Wimps! If you were of Mr. Creosoteian size as I am you could go through a double jeroboam of Champagne, 6 bottles of Latour '45 and two crates of brown ale over dinner easily!

(Seriously: I can go through two bottles of wine a night - if it is Moscato d'Asti.)

For $30 I would take the flyer. 1996 is starting to drink well at the lower levels, so you should be in good shape.

Does that mean he should only drink it near sea level, or while laying flat.....

I like the 1996 Gloria quite a bit. It needs no further cellaring, so I'd be tempted to opo it and see.

Well if he drinks the whole thing he will be laying flat.

David,
As I understand it, Christmas morning will be rise around 7am, read the paper and have coffee with perhaps buttered toast. Light Hot Mama and get her up to 350-400 degrees by say 10AM. Open and give the wine an olfactory test. Depending on outside temp the bottle will be set to rest on the deck. and have another cuppa. Help prep in the kitchen, and all but the roast (ribeye) will be up to SWMBO. I expect sit down time will be around 1pm, and cook time for the ribeye is probably not more than an hour, All I need to do is set Hot mama up to catch pan juices for gravy or Yorkshire pudding. That means a heat deflector and a catch pan with a bit of liquid so that the dripping do not burn. The liquid could be a splash of the Ch. Gloria. Will make adjustments as needed!

Say it isn't so! Bob - he is calling you a girlie man!

I'm sure Bob can pace himself..... (I agree that one bottle per person over an evening is normal max and can only gaze on in wonder at those who post notes indicating Johnsonian capacity.)

Bill, by starting early, I can easily do either the whole 1.5, or a separate bottle before the football game is over. There is a football game isn't there? I "ain't" no darn girlie man...except that some my favorite people are girlies!

Bob H, what about the white wine appertif?!! Where does that fit in?

Bob, I think the 1996 Chateau Gloria is remarkably good, one of my favorite wines. It is drinking beautifully right now. It is earthy, deep and dark. Folks who like fruity wine will probably not like it as much. What a nose! All kinds of foresty type notes. If the bottle is okay, and not cooked, please let me know what you thought of it, so I can calibrate my palate a little with yours.

Normally, cooked wines, which were hot enough to have bubbled over, will have stains streaming down the inside of the seal, which I am sure you know. Hopefully the stains came from somewhere else. Enjoy!

i don't see this as a great price at all; but...... and the chateau has never been one of my favs. good luck.

I would gladly pay $30 for a 750ml of '96 Gloria, and in the magnum, a "no brainer". Stains on the label and mold on the cork are usually good signs. You should try to figure out a way to get a little air to the wine. Maybe decant (into a Pyrex bowl) about half or more of the wine (aggitate the remainder in the bottle), let it sit for an hour or so and then pour back into the bottle, or pour all of it into maybe two bowls and give it 30 minutes (tasting or at least nosing mean while) rinsing the bottle out to rid of sediment. It should take 30 min. to "open up". I recently had a '99 Gloria that Parker gave a meager 88 pts to. I assure you that it was every bit of 92 pts., after a 3 hour decant. This chateau is all from classified property and it did not exist in 1855. The only reason that it is not a 4th or 5th growth. Your evening should be built around this wine, with an unopened back-up, JIC. We can't wait to hear how it turns out.

Stains on the label and mold on the cork are usually good signs. .

I've got no real issues usually with water/mold stains on labels (or mold on corks), they're common in passive cellars. But if we are talking wine stains on the label, it is not a good sign. Not neccessarily a horrible thing, but it is a danger sign.

I wouldn't worry too much about non spinning capsules, lots of wines don't spin on release.

The '96 Gloria was a solid if unremarkable wine last I tasted (mine are gone, and the last one was regrettably corked), I wouldn't mind trying again. At $30 a mag with possibility of return, probably worth a gamble, but have backups.

The '96 Gloria was a solid if unremarkable wine last I tasted (mine are gone, and the last one was regrettably corked), I wouldn't mind trying again. At $30 a mag with possibility of return, probably worth a gamble, but have backups.

It will still be fun to play with a 1/2 price wine, that with any luck, will be 89-90 pts or even more (don't sit around and stare at the wine, have a Caesar's salad, meat or cheese to help it along). Just give it time. It may take an hour, then again, it may never wake up. but if nothing else, the empty bottle is worth the memory. You are right about the stains, but my point is don't start finding fault until you've given it a chance, and more often than not (you've had more experience than I have) the stains and mold just mean an aged wine. Some of the most memorable wines I've ever had started with moldy corks and smelled awful funny upon opening. Good luck on this one!

Bob, I think the 1996 Chateau Gloria is remarkably good, one of my favorite wines. It is drinking beautifully right now. It is earthy, deep and dark. Folks who like fruity wine will probably not like it as much. What a nose! All kinds of foresty type notes. If the bottle is okay, and not cooked, please let me know what you thought of it, so I can calibrate my palate a little with yours.

Normally, cooked wines, which were hot enough to have bubbled over, will have stains streaming down the inside of the seal, which I am sure you know. Hopefully the stains came from somewhere else. Enjoy!

Covert,

I am sort of all over the place when I count the kind of wines I like. I am rather partial to reds with a bunch of secondary and tertiary aromas and flavors. But then I am a really big fan of Tahbilk marsanne, which I think of as a red wine drinker's white. Never had one of those that I liked at less than 5 years age. I like Vouvrays and then there are the CB's of Savennières.Quite a lot of difference there! I like German rieslings from QBA through the highest level QMP, although I will admit that I like the lower levels of Kabinett and Spatlese more than the higher level ones. Heck, better made California cabernets are ok too, but they are much better with age than without. My backup wine for Christmas is likely to be a 1991 Private Reserve from Beringer. Judging though by my empties, my favorite grape has to be syrah, or blends heavy in syrah. See what I mean?

It will still be fun to play with a 1/2 price wine, that with any luck, will be 89-90 pts or even more (don't sit around and stare at the wine, have a Caesar's salad, meat or cheese to help it along). Just give it time. It may take an hour, then again, it may never wake up. but if nothing else, the empty bottle is worth the memory. You are right about the stains, but my point is don't start finding fault until you've given it a chance, and more often than not (you've had more experience than I have) the stains and mold just mean an aged wine. Some of the most memorable wines I've ever had started with moldy corks and smelled awful funny upon opening. Good luck on this one!

Richard, the 1/2 price (more like 1/4 price since it is a magnum) is what sold me on it to begin, stains not withstanding. So, I am going in understanding the risk. I probably would not have thought to vigorously aerate a 12 year old bdx of lowly stature such as Gloria. I had planned on opening it probably 3-4 hours before dinner, and having a pour to get the level to below the neck and let her sit. If she is tight or unforthcoming I will then decant half the bottle. Even though I will have arranged for a worthwhile backup, I am taking bets that I got a real deal in the Gloria. Thanks for replying.

Bob H, what about the white wine appertif?!! Where does that fit in?

Bob, I haven't even considered an aperitif white. I believe we will be eating quite early else I might open a couple different styles of sherry. A fino, and an amontillado. could do a late harvest riesling with or as dessert though.

i don't see this as a great price at all; but...... and the chateau has never been one of my favs. good luck.

What would a magnum of 1996 Gloria sell for in your neck of the woods, $10 - $20?

I am sort of all over the place when I count the kind of wines I like...See what I mean?

Indeed. Since I only like Bordeaux and Burgundy well enough to drink (unless they didn't exist), we definitely will not calibrate. I would still be interested to see how the wine showed, with the potential problem and all, and what you thought of it, if it turns out to be okay.

Indeed. Since I only like Bordeaux and Burgundy well enough to drink (unless they didn't exist), we definitely will not calibrate. I would still be interested to see how the wine showed, with the potential problem and all, and what you thought of it, if it turns out to be okay.

Will do.