TN: 2002 Gloria - UPDATED w/ a DC haul bottle

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Blanquito
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TN: 2002 Gloria - UPDATED w/ a DC haul bottle

Post by Blanquito »

This is really good. Lovely, charming Bordeaux bouquet with lots of cedar, a bit of cassis and truffle, some baking spices, and a refreshing herbal/oregano (a trait I have come to prize in my claret). Perhaps a bit grapey too, showing that some primary notes remain. The palate is texturally wide open and engaging with round plummy fruit, spicy notes and plenty of acid. While semi-soft, this has nice depth and grip for an "off" year. Wonderfully drinkable and easygoing. Reminds me a lot du Tertre's wines. Delicious and drinking very well today, this will develop for a other 10 years at least.

Another 2002L winner. I am wishing I'd bought more 02s especially on release when the prices were so keen. I think I paid $17 for this from WineX.
Last edited by Blanquito on Sat Jun 25, 2016 5:23 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Nicklasss
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Re: TN: 2002 Gloria

Post by Nicklasss »

Sound very good. I only own some 2010 Chateau Gloria, and expeçting the best in 10 years.

If I think about 2002 vs 2003, i also think i prefer the former. I remember drinking a few bottles of the 2002 Chateau
Talbot, paid 20-22$, and while not great wine, they were exçellent, enjoyable, and classic Saint-Julien.

Nic
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jal
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Re: TN: 2002 Gloria

Post by jal »

Nice
See Patrick, I didn't get any cedar or truffles on the nose with the 2010. Maybe my nose is off, maybe the 2010 is in an awkward stage but it seemed like it was missing most of the characteristics I usually associate with Bordeaux. 2002 lefties are classic wines, I wish I had more of them.
Best

Jacques
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JimHow
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Re: TN: 2002 Gloria

Post by JimHow »

Had a 2002 Smith Haut Lafitte before starting my most recent wine fast. Very lovely.
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Blanquito
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Re: TN: 2002 Gloria

Post by Blanquito »

This wine was just so "honest", it wasn't putting on airs or doing anything forced, it just tasted real. And the fact that it is drinking so well at age 13 is a BIG bonus in my book. I had the 2010 Gloria a while back, and it was in a very different gear, not necessarily worse, but it seemed like it would need some good cellar time to pull together. Wines like the 2002 Gloria of course can get lost at big tastings, but for a quiet meal at home, hard to imagine something better.
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AlohaArtakaHoundsong
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Re: TN: 2002 Gloria

Post by AlohaArtakaHoundsong »

I think we've been down this road before, and this is open to the criticism of "experts" that it's "stupid" or something like that, but I often find that good wines made in non vintage-of-century years seem more complex than their 95-point brethren. Perhaps this is due to the less than superabundance of fruit one finds (especially early on) by comparison in the really ripe years. Anyway I find that in the 2002s especially you get all these different yet pleasant when not overwhelming flavors like radish, herbs etc. As long as there's a decent amount of sweetness, I find these wines very pleasurable. I'm sure (well I'm not sure but it's the conventional wisdom) that the ripe vintages take the cake when mature but again this is not a side-by-side competition.
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AKR
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Re: TN: 2002 Gloria

Post by AKR »

The reality is that standard of viticulture there is overall very high, so even in years where things are not perfect weather wise they can make quality wine.

California has sort of the reverse, they are so blessed with sun and ocean breezes, that even if the wine maker does not have a UC Davis pedigree, they'll still make good wines most years, perhaps by virtue of great weather.

And whatever Gloria does, its especially friendly. We drank a lot of the 00, purchased in halves for $10/btl, which even back then, was an unusually good price.

It seems like there has been quite a bit of rehabilitation for the estate in the minds of enthusiasts over the last 2 decades.
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AlohaArtakaHoundsong
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Re: TN: 2002 Gloria

Post by AlohaArtakaHoundsong »

One of these levitated to the top of a mixed case of 02s and I thrust it in service just now when an 05 Potel Volnay 1er Cru Les Angles stumbled out the gate with a mild cork taint. You are quite right this wine is in a good spot. I love how these 02s are fleshing out yet remain quite cool on the palate.
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Re: TN: 2002 Gloria

Post by JimHow »

Mmmm 2002L.
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Blanquito
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Re: TN: 2002 Gloria

Post by Blanquito »

AlohaArtakaHoundsong wrote:One of these levitated to the top of a mixed case of 02s and I thrust it in service just now when an 05 Potel Volnay 1er Cru Les Angles stumbled out the gate with a mild cork taint. You are quite right this wine is in a good spot. I love how these 02s are fleshing out yet remain quite cool on the palate.
Nice. Cool but deepening, that captures it well.
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robertgoulet
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Re: TN: 2002 Gloria

Post by robertgoulet »

Great...now I have to pop my only 2002.... pape clement

Still wish I had another 2002 Alter Ego....beautiful wine

Killing me with these notes....this sounds like a Goulet vintage
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Re: TN: 2002 Gloria

Post by stefan »

2002 Pape Clement is excellent, IMO. It will improve for quite a few more years but it is wonderful now.
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JimHow
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Re: TN: 2002 Gloria

Post by JimHow »

I mean, I hate to tell you guys I told you so, but… I told you so….
Especially when you factor in price, 2002L is one of the great vintages in the past 20+ years.
These wines are just so beautifully balanced, elegant, restrained, 12.5%, classic, lead pencil, cool, crisp-but-not-in-a-96-way (not criticizing 96 here), understated, they creep up on you so that by the end of dinner you are just shaking your head recalling how great classic Bordeaux used to be….
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marcs
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Re: TN: 2002 Gloria

Post by marcs »

Sadly Jim is not the only guy on to this vintage, as prices appear to be creeping up. As I mentioned in another thread, when I went to reload on the excellent 2002 Lynch I found that the lowest US retail price was $110. That's equivalent to 2004/2008 and only $40 a bottles less than the 2005/2009. Sigh.
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Re: TN: 2002 Gloria

Post by stefan »

Yeah, I should have listened, BD. I only bought nine cases of 2002 red Bordeaux.
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JimHow
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Re: TN: 2002 Gloria

Post by JimHow »

They are the closest thing to 1988 since 1988.
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Re: TN: 2002 Gloria

Post by JimHow »

2002L is a SF-Ed-type-of-vintage
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Comte Flaneur
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Re: TN: 2002 Gloria

Post by Comte Flaneur »

I know Jim was one of the first to 'get religion' on the 2002s. So was David G iirc.

But I also remember a post from Steve H very early on imploring us to jump on the 2002 train, which was 'leaving the platform.'

What happened to Steve H?
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Blanquito
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Re: TN: 2002 Gloria

Post by Blanquito »

It would be fun to try some 02 vs 04 vs 06, all 'drinkers' vintages. I wonder how they compare stylistically. I imagine 04 being a bit brighter and/or crunchier than 02. Perhaps 06 has the most tannin? At any rate, the 02s have fleshed out a lot since release, more than I expected.

Given your love of the 04s, Bobby G, there's little doubt 02 would be right in your wheelhouse.
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AlohaArtakaHoundsong
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Re: TN: 2002 Gloria

Post by AlohaArtakaHoundsong »

A final thought on this one. I would deviate from Patrick's assessment only midly and in one respect. I found the "flavor" if you will, to be bone dry. So not texturally dry or having a drying sensation mouthfeel-wise, but seemingly negligible sweetness in the flavor. Plenty of stuffing and weight but not a lot of sucrosity. In that sense it compares to some 2008s I've had although those seemed to come bigger bodied than any 2002 at the same point in time, say aged 3-5 years. So if "sweet red fruits" are your thing you may find this wine old fashioned and/or underripe (if that is not the same thing to the modernista). Also certainly enjoyable now but I think another couple of years will see that final letting go, abandonment, surrender to the flesh.
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Blanquito
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Re: TN: 2002 Gloria - UPDATED w/ a DC haul bottle

Post by Blanquito »

I finally cracked one from my half-case of 2002 Gloria acquired for a song (and a cab ride) at MacAuthurs during the DC Convention...

If anything, this showed younger than my original bottle detailed above. This new one had a spinning capsule, a just-bottled fill, perfect cork with nearly no stain, etc. Score!

Anyway, the wine. My god, I love this stuff and it might be better on day 2. Spicy yet earthy, truffle infused fruit, lots of acidity, friendly yet it has a decade+ of evolution/improvement ahead of it. Rich enough to drink on its own, but goes great with food as well.
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JimHow
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Re: TN: 2002 Gloria - UPDATED w/ a DC haul bottle

Post by JimHow »

That 2002 Gloria is a stunner, I appreciate you're directing me to it Patrick, and I'm really kicking myself for only buying 5 bottles of it in DC.

I had a 2002 Cos from the DC heist last night, it took forever to open up but once it did it was a classic.
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AKR
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Re: TN: 2002 Gloria - UPDATED w/ a DC haul bottle

Post by AKR »

It so strange for me now to go into wine stores, and see Gloria now placed on the upper level shelves.

I drank just tons of the stuff over the years, so I don't feel too sad though.
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Blanquito
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Re: TN: 2002 Gloria - UPDATED w/ a DC haul bottle

Post by Blanquito »

AKR wrote:It so strange for me now to go into wine stores, and see Gloria now placed on the upper level shelves.

I drank just tons of the stuff over the years, so I don't feel too sad though.
I used to think of Gloria as an easy drinking Cru bourgeois-type claret. Based on the 2002, I underestimated it, even though it does seem friendlier than many a mean Medoc.
Last edited by Blanquito on Sun Jun 26, 2016 6:15 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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marcs
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Re: TN: 2002 Gloria - UPDATED w/ a DC haul bottle

Post by marcs »

Those 2002 bottles from the DC / MacArthurs haul have been fantastic. Also had a 2002 Cos a month or two ago and it was spectacular. Will be interesting to compare it to my bottles of 2002 Cos purchased at release and professionally stored. I wonder if the MacArthurs ones were stored at a slightly higher temp since two years ago I had a 2002 from my purchase-at-release stash and it was closed up very tight.
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stefan
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Re: TN: 2002 Gloria - UPDATED w/ a DC haul bottle

Post by stefan »

Marc, even good retailers and distributors tend to store wine at 65F and up except for older bottles.
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marcs
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Re: TN: 2002 Gloria - UPDATED w/ a DC haul bottle

Post by marcs »

Very interesting Stefan, I didn't know that. I sometimes wish there was a 62-65 degree storage option in professional storage, because it would actually be very nice to have my Bordeaux as lush and ready to drink as these wines were 15 years after the vintage date. I suspect 55 degrees means that you could be dead before wines from years like 2000 become fully expressive.
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stefan
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Re: TN: 2002 Gloria - UPDATED w/ a DC haul bottle

Post by stefan »

Marc, I keep a majority of my wines in the 62-65 range. Being over 70, I want my younger wines to age quickly and even 20 year old Bordeaux can be tough if stored at 50-55 throughout its life. Many of my wines from 1996 are at 62F.
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