Chateau Gloria St Julien 2003: Gem of 2012

 Gloria St Julien 2003 really has it all. The hot summer of that years means the fruit really comes to the fore.

I love a good St Julien wine but it's not my favourite part of the left bank. Often I find the wines a little, well, less bold than I like. "Very elegant, but no hips", as a friend of mine put it.

My favourite is where St Estephe borders Pauillac. So Cos D'Estournel for example, where I once drank the 1990, which was sublime.

But this St Julien 1993 Gloria is one of the best wines you can get for under £50. That's not cheap, but this wine is a stunner. It combines the big flavours of the 1993 vintage with the traditional subtlety of Chateau Gloria and the St Julien region.

The complexity is a wonder, and the finish well over a minute in length. It also has a slight minerality usually found further north, which surprised me.

Truly a gem to savour. For £50 you can also buy Smith Haut Lafite 2005 from the Graves, which is a beauty, but this Gloria definitely wins out in my book. Superb.