Château Angelus, Saint Emilion, 1er Grand Cru A Classe 2020

Prior to the 2022 vintage, this wine was classed as Premier Grand Cru Classe A. Classified as Premier Grand Cru Classe B from 1996 to 2012.

Critic tasting note: (2020 vintage)

"Blackberry and plum character with chocolate, too. Oyster shell. Full and very firm with a linear sensibility. Tight and powerful. Very pure fruit. Tension and energy there. Polished tannins. Some coffee bean and chocolate. Give this at least five or six years. 60% merlot and 40% cabernet franc. Try after 2028." - James Suckling

"Everything that makes Chateau Angelus great is here in spades! The wine is almost opaque in color. In the glass, the perfume pops with its essence of black, dark red and blue fruit, smoke, licorice, flowers, espresso, chocolate and an array of spices. The wine is full-bodied, intense, silky, vibrant and concentrated with multiple-layers of perfectly ripe, sweet, cashmere textured fruits. The wine builds, expands and intensifies on your palate. The fruit offers purity and lift in the seamless finish that lingers for close to 60 seconds. Give this some time in the cellar and it will probably hit triple digits. It is that good! Drink from 2026-2060." - Jeff Leve, The Wine Cellar Insider (99/100)

"Another highly elegant version of Angélus. Instead of the more dominant oaky notes in the past, Angélus has driven the style to focus more on its fruit core. This vintage, it shows with a very precise and inviting fruit profile with vibrant acidity. The fruit spectrum is rather diversified, presenting a combination of different red and black berries, together with some violet scent. Very long and extending finish with a layer of high quality powdery tannins staying on the palate. Expect a grand vin once well aged." - Wine Maniacs (98-100/100)

"The 2020 Angélus has turned out superbly and underlines this estate's continuing shift to a more elegant, integrated style that offers a purer expression of its terroir. A blend of 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Franc, it unwinds in the glass with aromas of cherries, wild berries, rose petals, mint and subtle hints of licorice, followed by a medium to full-bodied, beautifully layered and vibrant palate that's deep, precise and penetrating, concluding with a mouthwateringly chalky finish. Some 120 hectoliters of Cabernet Franc, amounting to around 20% of the blend, were matured in foudre this year, which no doubt helps to account for the significantly reduced oak impact in the 2020.

Since taking the help at Angélus, Stéphanie de Boüard-Rivoal and her team, inspired by the terroir transparency of the wines of the 1950s, have been boldly evolving toward less impactful winemaking. What does that mean in practice? Cooler macerations, élevage that now incorporates foudres for the grand vin and tanks for Tempo, No. 3 and Carillon, reducing the impact of new barriques without the loss in precision that often comes from repeatedly reused barrels—along with, I'm sure, a host of other smaller changes that cumulatively mean that Angélus today is a very different beast from the rich, toasty wine of the 1990s and early 2000s. The 2020 has turned out brilliantly, and I'm sure it only hints at what's to come from this dynamic estate." - Robert Parker The Wine Advocate, Reviewed by: William Kelley (97/100)

Producer Notes

In the last thirty years, Hubert de Boüard de Laforest has constantly challenged practices and techniques for the benefit of his land and the unique characteristics of the wines grown on it, enabling Château Angélus to be recognised as one of the foremost properties in its appellation area. This recognition has been documented in one classification after another, the last of which awarded Château Angélus the status of Premier Grand Cru Classé "A".

Classification

Saint-Emilion Grand Cru

Drinking Window

2027 - 2069

Winemaker

Hubert de Boüard de Laforest

Maturation

Oaked

Vineyard Notes

Surface area 27 hectares (66 acres) Location South-facing slope of Saint-Emilion, on the famous “foot of the slope Soils Clay-limestone on the upper part; clay, sand and limestone as the slope goes down Density of plantation 6,500 to 8,500 vines per hectare depending on the soil characteristics.

Winemaking

Vinifications in oak and stainless steel vats for the Merlot, in concrete vats for the Cabernet Franc - A cold soak at 8°C for some vats, depending on the characteristics of the grapes, for 4 days to one week - Temperature of alcoholic fermentation up to 28°C - Post-fermentation maceration at 28 to 30°C, for 1 to 3 weeks.

Vintage Notes

"LE SUBLIME" The wine displays a brilliant, dense, very dark, almost black colour with dark purple tones, mirroring the perfect ripeness of the grapes and their optimal pH level. The nose exhibits intense aromas of juicy black fruits, such as wild cherries and blackberries. Elegant floral notes then come through, such as peony and violets. Refined tannins underpin a long-lasting, spherical, voluptuous structure on the palate, while the flavours linger long, bringing a sensation of freshness and harmony. This vintage displays a seldom-achieved degree of elegance, while the highest levels of purity and precision are reached with this blend of extraordinary Merlot and characterful Cabernet Franc.