Chateau Angelus - Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 2015
Price: $587.45
| Producer | Chateau Angelus |
| Country | France |
| Region | Bordeaux |
| Subregion | Saint-Emilion |
| Varietal | Red Blend |
| Vintage | 2015 |
| Sku | 07268 |
Chateau Angelus Description
Blend of 62% Merlot, 38% Cabernet Franc
VINIFICATION : Vinified by Hubert de Bouard. Fermentation is temperature controled in stainless steel, concrete and oak vats, then the maceration occurs during 2 to 4 weeks. The wine is aged in 100% new oak barrels durng 18 to 24 months.
The wine: Excellent in its subtle balance between power and refinement; in its intense aromatics of ripe, juicy fruit, its suave, clean entry on the palate, its tight-grained velvety tannins and its great purity. It has all the charm brought by a sun-drenched vintage with a touch of flamboyant classicism (baroque we might say), in harmonious balance with the elegance and breed brought by the freshness and tension in the lingering finish.
The producer; The Angélus style results from the combination of bold decisions on vine varieties and an outstanding terroir. It is this unique character born of the south-facing Saint-Emilion slopes with its large proportion of Cabernet Franc that we are so pleased to meet over and over again as the vintages pass by. It is also a composition re-crafted every year in a continuous quest for excellence.
A great terroir is more complex than you might think. It is not just the land, the earth, its natural capacity to drain away water and retain humidity – limestone or clay – the proportion of different elements in it that make it warm or cold soil, rich or poor ground, well-balanced or lacking. It is also the way it is exposed at the head of a valley, on a slope or at the foot of a hill, which creates little places that can be absolutely outstanding.
The vineyard at Angélus grows in a natural amphitheatre on a south-facing slope of Saint-Emilion and at its foot, where the summer temperatures are concentrated and where growth starts earlier. The soil is naturally drained by the slope. A good distribution of limestone and clay provides a regular supply of water and minerals. The 8- to 20% proportion of clay makes these areas of land warm and early. The vines’ rootstocks are ideally suited to this terroir and the vine varieties are distributed according to the soil types: Merlot on the hill, where there is more clay and Cabernet Franc on the sandy clay-limestone soils at the foot of the hill.
James Suckling: 99 Points
A great wine with superb concentration and richness. yet it's ever so agile and polished. Spices, blueberries, cinnamon and dried flowers. Full body and polished and full tannins. Great length. The refinement to the tannins is amazing. Compacted. Essence-like.
Wine Advocate: 97 Points
Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2015 Angélus is a little closed to begin, soon blossoming into a wonderfully fragrant perfume of raspberry preserves, ripe black plums and chocolate-covered cherries with suggestions of Darjeeling tea, candied violets, spice cake and cinnamon stick with a touch of aniseed. Full-bodied, the palate is fabulously opulent, delivering mouth-coating black and red fruit layers with loads of floral sparkles and a seductively velvety texture, finishing with great length and tension.
Vinous Media: 97 Points
The 2015 Angélus has a calm, cool and collected bouquet of tightly wound black fruit that unfurls with aeration to reveal blackberry, gravel and pencil box notes; classic, almost Left Bank in style, and delivered with real panache. The palate is exquisitely balanced with fine but grippy tannin, layers of black and red fruit tinged with vanilla and perfect acidity. The harmonious, sensual finish is very alluring. What a stunning 2015 this is going to be!
Wine Spectator: 96 Points
Dense, dark and muscular, featuring waves of warmed fig, plum and black currant paste that roll in with warm ganache, baker's chocolate and espresso accents. A huge swath of smoldering tobacco is brewing on the finish, which has a brooding feel, thanks to tannins that hit like a thunderclap at the end. If you've got time to wait...
