Château Angélus, St Emilion, 2023

Name: Château Angélus, St Emilion
Brand: Château Angélus
Price: 1560 GBP

Available Vintages

all 1995 1998 2007 2008 2010 2023 2024

justerini & brooks tasting note

Stephanie de Bouard-Rivoal set a clear direction of travel when she took up the mantle at Angelus, and we have to say, we're mighty impressed. Cool fermentations and a greater proportion of aging in wooden foudres has preserved the essence and purity of the fruit. This is a case of less is more. Less showy, but much more refined. Crafted from 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Franc this opens with suggestions of sweet plums, goji, exotic spices and freshly cut flowers. Perhaps not as seductive and fruity as some of the Pomerols, this is dark, salty and mineral, underpinned by notes of gravelly cassis, tobacco leaf and flecks of graphite. A very even keeled, handsome Angelus.

critic reviews

96-98/100Lisa Perrotti-Brown,The Wine Independent

A blend of 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Franc, the 2023 Angelus has a pH of 3.65 and is deep garnet-purple in color. It needs a little shaking to bring forth an eruption of energetic scents of wild blueberries, Morello cherries, and ripe plums, followed by nuances of cedar chest, clove oil, cinnamon stick, and violets, with a touch of garrigue. The medium-bodied palate is so, so finely knit with a mille-feuille of red, black, and blue fruit layers interspersed with mineral and floral notes, framed by firm, fine-grained tannins and seamless freshness, finishing long and earthy. It will need time but it will be a jaw-dropper!

DRINKING WINDOW 2029 - 2050

date of review 05/2024

96/100Jane Anson,Inside Bordeaux

Cocoa bean, liquorice, pomegranate, smoked earth, sage, anis, fennel, slate tannins, this combines nuanced and sinewy tannins with a generous supple expansion through the palate, building in power and impact. Beautifully fragrant, measured and skilful. 50% in foudres for Cabernet Franc, 50% new oak for the Merlot. Harvest September 14 through to October 1, Benjamin Laforest winemaker, Stephane de Boüard-Rivoal owner.

DRINKING WINDOW 2030 - 2050

date of review 05/2024

94-96/100Neal Martin,Vinous

The 2023 Angélus is the traditional blend of 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Franc. It aged for 20 months in new oak with just over half the Cabernet Franc aged in foudres (the Merlot is apparently less receptive to this larger vessel). It has a crisp and precise bouquet, not powerful, a light marine influence coming through with background scents of oyster shell. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-grained tannins. There’s a pleasant saline edge to this Angélus, perhaps a little more compact on the mid-palate than usual, with touches of white pepper toward the finish. It needs a little more persistency on the aftertaste. This will deserve five of six years in bottle.

DRINKING WINDOW 2030 - 2060

date of review 04/2024

95-96/100William Kelley,Robert Parker Wine Advocate

A classic blend of 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Franc, the 2023 Angelus reflects this estate's continuing evolution with regard to ripeness, extraction and elevage choices, offering up attractive aromas of dark berries and plums mingled with hints of mint, potpourri, rose petals, vine smoke and orange zest. Medium to full-bodied, fleshy and supple, with a velvety attack that segues into a core of pure, pillowy fruit framed by supple, powdery tannins, it's cool and harmonious, concluding with a long, perfumed finish. This is a terrific effort that foregrounds the vintage and the terroir at their best.

date of review 04/2024