critic reviews
The 2023 Angélus has turned out very well in bottle, confirming the expectations formed at the en primeur stage. Wafting from the glass with aromas of dark wild berries, flowers and spices, subtly framed by toast, it is medium- to full-bodied, fleshy and ample, built around a lively core of fruit and framed by powdery, sweet tannins, concluding with a long, perfumed finish. The harvest took place between September 14 and October 2.
The 2023 Angélus has an intense and potent bouquet with exuberant black cherries, bilberry, peony and subtle menthol scents. Well defined, perhaps not quite as precise as the very best recent vintages from the estate, yet you cannot help falling for its charms. The palate is medium-bodied with, again, intense red and black fruit interlaced with licorice, white pepper and graphite, the latter emanating from the contribution of 40% Cabernet Franc. Satisfying freshness and vitality here, this Angélus will need four to five years in bottle and then should give 20 to 25 years of drinking pleasure.
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!
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.