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The Château Angelus and its famous carillon overlooking the surrounding vineyards is an unmissable reference of the Rive droite of Bordeaux. The history of Château Angelus is intimately linked to its geographical location, due to the fact that it was the only place around the village of Saint-Emilion where you could hear the sound of the angelus (The Angelus in the singular, Christian prayer of the Catholic Church of the West) of three surrounding churches: the chapel of Mazerat, the church of Saint-Martin and the church of Saint-Emilion.
In 1782, Jean de Boüard de Laforest settled in Saint-Emilion, and his daughter Sophie settled on the vineyard of Mazerat, belonging to Charles Souffrain, whom she married in 1795. The de Boüard de Laforest family will always be at the head of Domaine, and it is Hubert de Boüard de Laforest, an oenologist by training, who will contribute to its great reputation from 1985 onwards, by introducing innovative practices. His daughter Stéphanie joined the adventure in 2012, representing the eighth generation. The passionate driving of Château Angelus year after year is thus above all a family story.
The Château Angelus will be named Grand Cru Classé when the Saint-Emilion classification was created in 1955, due to the great reputation it already enjoyed at the time. In 2012, it will reach the top by obtaining the title of Premier Grand Cru Classé "A", distinction until the 2021 vintage included. At the beginning of 2022, Domaine will choose to withdraw from the ranking, the next edition of which was to be formalized in September of the same year. Thus, from the 2022 vintage, the label of Château Angelus will mention only the Saint-Emilion appellation Grand Cru.
The Château Angélus is based on a 27-hectare vineyard, planted on hillsides with clay soils as well as on hillside feet with clay-limestone soils. The grape varieties are 50% Merlot, 47% Cabernet Franc and 3% Cabernet Sauvignon. The wines are aged for 18 to 22 months in French oak barrels.
The property produces a Second wine, Carillon d'Angélus, vinified in an outdoor winery at Château, which is entirely dedicated to it.
The Château Angélus is renowned for its complex, structured and particularly elegant wines, whose refinement is matched only by the family passion through which they were born.
2018 was a beautiful year climatologically, where the teams of Château Angélus showed vigilance, obstinacy, rigor and observation within the vineyard. The summer was particularly sunny and the weather lasted until the end of the harvest in October. The resulting Merlots showed near perfect ripeness, and the Cabernet Francs showed great fruit and freshness.
Blend of the 2018 vintage: 65% Merlot, 35% Cabernet Franc
The color is a sumptuous deep purple, almost black.
The nose offers a beautiful aromatic purity, with notes of black fruits, violet and cherry, which then give way to elegant scents of graphite, chocolate and cinnamon.
This elegance is then reflected in the mouth, where the wine shows silkiness and balance. It rises to a crescendo in aromatic power, revealing wild berry, spice, vanilla and chiseled tannins. Full-bodied and particularly concentrated, it melts gracefully into an intensely long, not to say wonderful, finish.
Food and wine pairing:
Château Angélus 2018 is a great nectar which, thanks to its silky texture, can be appreciated with a lamb curry, a Châteaubriand with truffle sauce, but also with pan-fried veal kidneys with mustard. It will also accompany a stuffed turkey or a rabbit roasted with thyme.
If it is to be served with cheese, choose uncooked pressed cheeses such as Cantal, Gouda, Mimolette and Saint Nectaire. Its melted tannins will go very well with them.
Ageing potential and tasting:
This wine will probably reach its qualitative peak between 2035 and 2040, and successive tastings should be carried out to measure its evolution as well as its qualitative peak.
To be served at room temperature, taking care, if possible, to open the bottle the night before so that the wine can open as well as possible. If not, open it the same day and decant it 6 to 7 hours before tasting.
The bottles should be kept in the cellar in a dark place, lying down, with an optimal hygrometric degree of 70%.
