Appellations

Angelus 2018

St Emilion, Premier Grand Cru Classé A

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Tasting Notes

The 2018 Angélus is striking. Cabernet Franc aromatics make a strong first impression. Vibrant and delineated, the 2018 is incredibly refined in every way. The move towards a bit less extraction really seems to let the purity of the fruit come through. The same is true of a reduction of oak. All the elements come together so effortlessly. The 2018 has all the richness readers expect of Angélus, with much more finesse and more overall vibrancy, a combination that works so well.

Score: 97 Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com Maturity: 2028 - 2043 Date: 25 August 2021

The 2018 Angélus is a fabulous wine from the de Boüard family. Often much more severe when it is young, the 2018 possesses stunning depth and remarkable finesse. I don't think I have tasted a young Angélus with this much finesse. In this vintage, Angélus is 65% Merlot and 35% Cabernet Franc, which is to say more Merlot and less Franc than in the past, which may or may not represent more of a longer term shift. To be sure, the 2018 is glorious, with generous, pliant fruit and silky tannins that add to its considerable allure. Crème de cassis, new leather, spice and licorice build into the striking finish. What a wine.

Score: 95 - 98 Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com Date: 01 April 2019

As I mentioned in my tasting note from barrel, the 2018 Angélus is the first vintage aged in two new foudres. It is very perfumed on the nose, one of the most floral that I can recall at this early stage. Violet and incense aromas percolate through the precise blackberry and cassis fruit, all displaying fine delineation. The palate is medium-bodied with pliant tannins. This is a velvety-smooth Angélus that would drink young if there was not still some oak to be assimilated. Fine balance and focus on the finish, which seems to firm up with continued aeration. This is a charming and quite sophisticated Saint-Émilion that should give 20–30 years of drinking pleasure.

Score: 95 Neal Martin, Vinous.com Maturity: 2023 - 2048 Date: 18 August 2021

The 2018 Angélus was picked from 24 September until 11 October and for the first time is aged in two new foudres (one more on the way) which are designed to limit the impact of wood and oxygen ingress. These are currently being used for the Cabernet Franc, then after a year, the juice is transferred into used oak barrel. Deep in colour, it has a dense bouquet with high-toned black cherry and cassis fruit, touches of dark chocolate and sandalwood. It feels a little unsettling although it has just been racked. The palate is medium-bodied with soft and supple tannins, rounded in the mouth with touches of sea salt and black pepper. It is an intense rather than powerful Angélus. There is a drive towards more elegance at the estate, though perhaps the warmth of the second part of the growing season did not allow them to fully realize this. Still, it is a very fine Angélus that will age with style.

Score: 94 - 96 Neal Martin, Vinous.com Maturity: 2023-2048 Date: 01 November 2019

I loved the 2018 Château Angélus from barrel last year and it blew me away from bottle, epitomizing the new, fresher, more elegant style of the estate while still bringing classic Angélus richness and power. The 2018 is a blend of 65% Merlot and 35% Cabernet Franc that was brought up in new oak, with a portion of the Cabernet Franc in foudre. A vivid purple color is followed by a vibrant bouquet of blackberries, crème de cassis, crushed violets, spring flowers, and cedar pencil. Beautifully concentrated, full-bodied, and flawlessly balanced on the palate, it has gorgeous tannins, remarkable purity of fruit, and awesome length. I followed this bottle for multiple days and it only improved, picking up additional depth and richness, while never showing a hint of oxidation. Pure perfection, it's going to benefit from 7-8 years of bottle age and keep for 3-4 decades. This is a sensational, magical wine from this talented team, led by winemaker Emmanuelle d'Aligny-Fulchi. Comparing this to the more opulent 2005 and 2009 over the coming decades will be an incredible experience.

Score: 100 Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com Maturity: 2028 - 2058 Date: 18 July 2021

The grand vin, the 2018 Angélus, is magical juice in 2018 as well as possibly one of the wines of the vintage. While it shows a slightly more elegant style compared to past great vintages, it doesn’t lack for depth, density or richness. Thrilling notes of crème de cassis, toasted spice, graphite, incense, and tobacco leaf all flow to a full-bodied, powerful Saint-Émilion that has seamless tannins, a stacked mid-palate, no hard edges, and a finish that just won’t quit. Reminding me of an improved 2009, it’s going to be drinkable with just short-term cellaring and keep for 30 years or more. The blend of the 2018 is 65% Merlot and 35% Cabernet Franc that will spend 18-22 months in new barrels (and a small portion in foudre as well). Hats off to director Emmanuelle d’Aligny-Fulchi for keeping this estate at the top of the hierarchy in Saint-Émilion!

Score: 97 - 99 Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com Date: 01 May 2019

The 2018 Angélus is blended of 65% Merlot and 35% Cabernet Franc, aged mainly in oak barriques, 100% new, plus two new foudres. Deep garnet-purple in color, it struts flamboyantly out of the glass with stylish scents of black raspberries, boysenberries and Black Forest cake, plus nuances of rose oil, forest floor, dusty soil and cinnamon toast with a hint of cedar chest. The medium to full-bodied palate is carrying a little new oak at this youthful stage, framing the generous red and black fruits along with ripe, plush grape-skin tannins and seamless freshness, finishing long and spicy. Give it 5-6 years in cellar for everything to marry, then drink it over the next 20+ years.

Score: 97 Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Maturity: 2026 - 2046 Date: 10 July 2021

“This year we have slightly less Cabernet Franc in the blend because we are only using the oldest vines, planted by my grandfather, as a tribute,” Stéphanie de Boüard-Rivoal said. “These are 60- to 80-year-old Cabernet Franc vines.” From 2018, 10% of the entire Angélus crop will be aged in large oak foudres. “These produce tighter, more perfumed, brighter wines from less oxygen exposure,” Stéphanie commented. The 2018 Angélus is blended of 65% Merlot and 35% Cabernet Franc, to be aged 18-22 months in barriques, 100% new, plus two new foudres. Deep garnet-purple in color, it slips slowly, sensuously out of the glass with beautiful black raspberries, kirsch, warm plums and red roses scents, building in intensity to reveal chocolate-covered cherries, raspberry coulis, black tea, woodsmoke and powdered cinnamon notions with a waft of black olives and charcuterie. Medium to full-bodied, the palate delivers a wonderfully profound, multilayered, seamless experience of red and black fruits intertwined with earth, spice and floral notions and framed by exquisitely ripe, satiny tannins, finishing with amazing freshness and length. Incredibly, finely, expertly, seamlessly knit. Stunning.

Score: 97 - 100 Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Date: 23 April 2019

This is rich and complex from the very first nose, showing dense brambled fruit with real precision of expression. After a few minutes the aromatics explode, leaping out of the glass and giving an extra level of enjoyment to the wine. In the mouth, lovely vibrant tannins grip without any sense of urgency, joined by curls of woodsmoke and salt taffy through the finish. It's gorgeous and will make you smile with its mouthwatering finish. Only the oldest Cabernet Francs, aged between 60 and 80 years, went into the grand vin in 2018, meaning a little less Cabernet Franc in the blend than usual. But these old vines, planted by Stephanie de Boüard's grandfather, are rich in flavour and give saline emphasis to the finish. It's the first year that they have worked entirely organically, with a 32hl/ha yield from the harvest, which ran from 24 September to 11 October. A cold soak before fermentation was used to extract the colour and fruit flavours without too much tannin. The wine is aged in 100% oak barrels and, for the first time, a few amphorae.

Score: 98 Jane Anson, Decanter.com Maturity: 2027-2042 Date: 15 April 2019

This shows beautifully sensibility of generous fruit and soft and velvety tannins with an undertone of chocolate and cedar. Full-bodied, pure and supple with a direct delivery of vibrant fruit and real terroir expression. Savory at the end with hazelnut and crunchy-seed flavors. Reality check here. Incredible fruit quality.

Score: 99 - 100 James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com Date: 11 April 2019

Very gutsy in feel, with lots of tobacco leaf, loam and espresso notes swirling around a core of steeped black currant and warm fig fruit flavors. The muscular finish is a jumble right now, but there's ample acidity coiled within. A wine that clearly wants to stand out from the pack.

Score: 95 - 98 James Molesworth, Wine Spectator Date: 28 March 2019