Bordeaux 2023: Château Angélus

Precision and finesse are the bywords, aromatically, texturally and structurally. We couldn’t help but be impressed by the execution; this is a superb Angélus with a real sense of poise and elegance.

This is brilliant wine, however, all recent physical vintages back to the gold enamelled 2012 bottling are available below the release price of the 2023. As such, we feel this will only appeal to the absolute die-hard Angélus followers out there.

“A classic blend of 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Franc, the 2023 Angélus reflects this estate's continuing evolution with regard to ripeness, extraction and élevage 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.” - William Kelley, The Wine Advocate, 95-96/100

“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.” - Neal Martin, vinous.com, 94-96/100