critic reviews
The 1998 Angelus, a blend of 40% Cabernet Franc and 60% Merlot, is deep garnet colored with a touch of brick. The nose is completely...WOW! It has an incredible array of smoked meats, incense, cigar box and dusty earth notions over a core of baked cherries, dried mulberries, preserved plums and dried roses with wafts of lavender, menthol and new leather. The palate is medium to full-bodied, rich, intense and packed with black fruit preserves accented by complex savory and earth-inspired flavors, supported by wonderful freshness, textured by plush tannins and finishing with fantastic tension. This still has loads of life25+ more years!
The 1998 Angelus has always been an impressive Saint-Émilion and at 20-years of age that has not changed in recent years. Showing the first signs of ageing on the rim, it has a glorious bouquet that is midway between primary and secondary aromas: cranberry, crushed strawberry and warm leather on an antique armchair; embers and a light marine tincture. The palate is medium-bodied with rounded tannin, a mixture of red and black fruit mixed with clove, cedar and a sprinkling of powdered dark chocolate. There remains a firm backbone to this Angelus: focused and precise. It is a wine to either drink now or age over the next 15 years. The choice is yours. Tasted at the château.