20 Vintages of Angelus (1988-2015)
Tasted Sunday, November 28, 2021 by Cailles with 459 views
Introduction
All wines bought En Primeur and never moved since. All wines only slow-oxes for 2-3 hours, so no decanting. All wines tasted blind.
Tasted Sunday, November 28, 2021 by Cailles with 459 views
All wines bought En Primeur and never moved since. All wines only slow-oxes for 2-3 hours, so no decanting. All wines tasted blind.
1988 Château Angélus 93 Points
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
All wines tasted single blind. A few observations and conclusions: It seems that until more recently, Angelus focused on late picking, big wines with too much extraction. Most pre 2004 wines we tasted did not show well and are drying out or already have. The younger vintages showed better but only time will tell if the 2004 to 2015 vintages will age more gracefully. An experienced Angelus collector mentioned a style shift towards more finesse right after the promotion to Premier Grand Cru Classe A with the 2012 vintage. It would have been great to include more of the recent vintages (we had only 09/10/14/15) to better understand when and to what extent that shift happened. Still, there are some very good wines with the 2010 being the WOTN (rated 96+ pts, the structuredness, freshness and purity of the vintage shines through), narrowly ahead of the 2008 (96pts, these 2008 right banks are singing these days and are incredibly fresh) as well as two wines with 95 pts, the 2005 (slightly closed but lots of complexity and no structural deficits) and the 2015 (showcasing the stylistic shift: there aren’t many 2015s out there that share the light- and airiness and perfect ripeness level and purity with their respective 2010 counterparts).
TN: Medium+ Expressive nose with luxurious ripe dark fruit, finely integrated toasted oak, herbs and minerality. Quite round and inviting with medium+ Precision. On the palate this has good weight from start to finish with fine tannins (probably just a very little touch drying towards the end) and good freshness. Fine dark red fruit, fresh and candied and ripe, some floral notes, herbs, and minerality. Good length and balance. Easily drinking on a 93 pts level.
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1990 Château Angélus 94 Points
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
All wines tasted single blind. A few observations and conclusions: It seems that until more recently, Angelus focused on late picking, big wines with too much extraction. Most pre 2004 wines we tasted did not show well and are drying out or already have. The younger vintages showed better but only time will tell if the 2004 to 2015 vintages will age more gracefully. An experienced Angelus collector mentioned a style shift towards more finesse right after the promotion to Premier Grand Cru Classe A with the 2012 vintage. It would have been great to include more of the recent vintages (we had only 09/10/14/15) to better understand when and to what extent that shift happened. Still, there are some very good wines with the 2010 being the WOTN (rated 96+ pts, the structuredness, freshness and purity of the vintage shines through), narrowly ahead of the 2008 (96pts, these 2008 right banks are singing these days and are incredibly fresh) as well as two wines with 95 pts, the 2005 (slightly closed but lots of complexity and no structural deficits) and the 2015 (showcasing the stylistic shift: there aren’t many 2015s out there that share the light- and airiness and perfect ripeness level and purity with their respective 2010 counterparts).
TN: Medium- expressive nose only with not very precise expression of dark red fruits, herbs and minerality, the fruit is only in the background here, some leather and herbs but not that good. On the palate this is bright and fresh from the start to finish, light and rather airy with fresh red fruit, slightly candied, ripe but not too ripe, minerality and herbs, nice coffee layer, some leather. Good length but and fine tannins and a well integrated acidity. A good wine. Maybe more air, a proper decant would have helped the wine to open up more and show more layers. No structural deficits. 93/94 pts.
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1992 Château Angélus 90 Points
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
All wines tasted single blind. A few observations and conclusions: It seems that until more recently, Angelus focused on late picking, big wines with too much extraction. Most pre 2004 wines we tasted did not show well and are drying out or already have. The younger vintages showed better but only time will tell if the 2004 to 2015 vintages will age more gracefully. An experienced Angelus collector mentioned a style shift towards more finesse right after the promotion to Premier Grand Cru Classe A with the 2012 vintage. It would have been great to include more of the recent vintages (we had only 09/10/14/15) to better understand when and to what extent that shift happened. Still, there are some very good wines with the 2010 being the WOTN (rated 96+ pts, the structuredness, freshness and purity of the vintage shines through), narrowly ahead of the 2008 (96pts, these 2008 right banks are singing these days and are incredibly fresh) as well as two wines with 95 pts, the 2005 (slightly closed but lots of complexity and no structural deficits) and the 2015 (showcasing the stylistic shift: there aren’t many 2015s out there that share the light- and airiness and perfect ripeness level and purity with their respective 2010 counterparts).
TN: Medium- expressive nose with ripe dark fruit, rather high extraction, some oak notes. Not super precise. On the palate this is quite round with fine not too ripe dark fruit, lots of Cab Franc herbs and stoney aromas, some earthy notes. Overall a touch more fruit would be great. The tannins are noticeable and a touch drying but overall this is a solid effort. 89/90 pts. Other said that it misses a bit of substance but I like that lightness.
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1993 Château Angélus 80 Points
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
All wines tasted single blind. A few observations and conclusions: It seems that until more recently, Angelus focused on late picking, big wines with too much extraction. Most pre 2004 wines we tasted did not show well and are drying out or already have. The younger vintages showed better but only time will tell if the 2004 to 2015 vintages will age more gracefully. An experienced Angelus collector mentioned a style shift towards more finesse right after the promotion to Premier Grand Cru Classe A with the 2012 vintage. It would have been great to include more of the recent vintages (we had only 09/10/14/15) to better understand when and to what extent that shift happened. Still, there are some very good wines with the 2010 being the WOTN (rated 96+ pts, the structuredness, freshness and purity of the vintage shines through), narrowly ahead of the 2008 (96pts, these 2008 right banks are singing these days and are incredibly fresh) as well as two wines with 95 pts, the 2005 (slightly closed but lots of complexity and no structural deficits) and the 2015 (showcasing the stylistic shift: there aren’t many 2015s out there that share the light- and airiness and perfect ripeness level and purity with their respective 2010 counterparts).
TN: Not much expression on the nose. On the palate this again quite extracted but misses a bit of substance and length. Not much fruit left. Only minerality and herbs, lots of unintegrated acidity and drying tannins. This is not good. Well past its prime and dried out but at least no oxidative notes. 80 pts is generous.
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1994 Château Angélus 84 Points
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
All wines tasted single blind. A few observations and conclusions: It seems that until more recently, Angelus focused on late picking, big wines with too much extraction. Most pre 2004 wines we tasted did not show well and are drying out or already have. The younger vintages showed better but only time will tell if the 2004 to 2015 vintages will age more gracefully. An experienced Angelus collector mentioned a style shift towards more finesse right after the promotion to Premier Grand Cru Classe A with the 2012 vintage. It would have been great to include more of the recent vintages (we had only 09/10/14/15) to better understand when and to what extent that shift happened. Still, there are some very good wines with the 2010 being the WOTN (rated 96+ pts, the structuredness, freshness and purity of the vintage shines through), narrowly ahead of the 2008 (96pts, these 2008 right banks are singing these days and are incredibly fresh) as well as two wines with 95 pts, the 2005 (slightly closed but lots of complexity and no structural deficits) and the 2015 (showcasing the stylistic shift: there aren’t many 2015s out there that share the light- and airiness and perfect ripeness level and purity with their respective 2010 counterparts).
TN: Most expressive nose of the first flight with lots of fruit extract, ripe but fresh fruit, some candied notes but a lot of vegetal notes. On the palate this has drying tannins, lots of extraction. Clearly overdone and not much expression on the palate. Again lots of vegetal aromas. Too dry and no balance, to much acidity. No winner. 84 pts.
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1995 Château Angélus 89 Points
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
All wines tasted single blind. A few observations and conclusions: It seems that until more recently, Angelus focused on late picking, big wines with too much extraction. Most pre 2004 wines we tasted did not show well and are drying out or already have. The younger vintages showed better but only time will tell if the 2004 to 2015 vintages will age more gracefully. An experienced Angelus collector mentioned a style shift towards more finesse right after the promotion to Premier Grand Cru Classe A with the 2012 vintage. It would have been great to include more of the recent vintages (we had only 09/10/14/15) to better understand when and to what extent that shift happened. Still, there are some very good wines with the 2010 being the WOTN (rated 96+ pts, the structuredness, freshness and purity of the vintage shines through), narrowly ahead of the 2008 (96pts, these 2008 right banks are singing these days and are incredibly fresh) as well as two wines with 95 pts, the 2005 (slightly closed but lots of complexity and no structural deficits) and the 2015 (showcasing the stylistic shift: there aren’t many 2015s out there that share the light- and airiness and perfect ripeness level and purity with their respective 2010 counterparts).
TN: Ripe dark red and dark fruit, luxurious oak aromas, some roasted herbs, toasty notes and some candied red fruit in the background. Medium expressive only but quite inviting nose. On the palate this has still a good amount of ripe dark fruit, herbs, earthy notes and minerality. Slightly drying tannins take over from mid palate and towards the finish. Not very balanced with a high acidity. No winner either. 89 pts.
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1997 Château Angélus 84 Points
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
All wines tasted single blind. A few observations and conclusions: It seems that until more recently, Angelus focused on late picking, big wines with too much extraction. Most pre 2004 wines we tasted did not show well and are drying out or already have. The younger vintages showed better but only time will tell if the 2004 to 2015 vintages will age more gracefully. An experienced Angelus collector mentioned a style shift towards more finesse right after the promotion to Premier Grand Cru Classe A with the 2012 vintage. It would have been great to include more of the recent vintages (we had only 09/10/14/15) to better understand when and to what extent that shift happened. Still, there are some very good wines with the 2010 being the WOTN (rated 96+ pts, the structuredness, freshness and purity of the vintage shines through), narrowly ahead of the 2008 (96pts, these 2008 right banks are singing these days and are incredibly fresh) as well as two wines with 95 pts, the 2005 (slightly closed but lots of complexity and no structural deficits) and the 2015 (showcasing the stylistic shift: there aren’t many 2015s out there that share the light- and airiness and perfect ripeness level and purity with their respective 2010 counterparts).
TN: On the nose not much expression with lots of minerality, fresh herbs, some green notes and acidity dominitating. On the palate the acidity and drying tannins are pronounced and the fruit is in the background only, green notes, herbs and minerality dominating. Not a good wine beside the fine tannins and light texture and feel. 84 pts.
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1999 Château Angélus 87 Points
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
All wines tasted single blind. A few observations and conclusions: It seems that until more recently, Angelus focused on late picking, big wines with too much extraction. Most pre 2004 wines we tasted did not show well and are drying out or already have. The younger vintages showed better but only time will tell if the 2004 to 2015 vintages will age more gracefully. An experienced Angelus collector mentioned a style shift towards more finesse right after the promotion to Premier Grand Cru Classe A with the 2012 vintage. It would have been great to include more of the recent vintages (we had only 09/10/14/15) to better understand when and to what extent that shift happened. Still, there are some very good wines with the 2010 being the WOTN (rated 96+ pts, the structuredness, freshness and purity of the vintage shines through), narrowly ahead of the 2008 (96pts, these 2008 right banks are singing these days and are incredibly fresh) as well as two wines with 95 pts, the 2005 (slightly closed but lots of complexity and no structural deficits) and the 2015 (showcasing the stylistic shift: there aren’t many 2015s out there that share the light- and airiness and perfect ripeness level and purity with their respective 2010 counterparts).
TN: On the nose there is beautiful ripe dark red fruit, a bit roasted herbs and some toasty notes, the oak is still quite noticeable but it is luxurious oak. Quite inviting but not radiating greatness. On the palate this is disjointed. The wine is not yet completely dried out but there is not enough fruit left. Some herbs and minerality noticeable but not much more. Slightly harsh tannins, high acidity dominating. The nose deserves a 92ish rating but overall this is not good.
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2000 Château Angélus 93 Points
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
All wines tasted single blind. A few observations and conclusions: It seems that until more recently, Angelus focused on late picking, big wines with too much extraction. Most pre 2004 wines we tasted did not show well and are drying out or already have. The younger vintages showed better but only time will tell if the 2004 to 2015 vintages will age more gracefully. An experienced Angelus collector mentioned a style shift towards more finesse right after the promotion to Premier Grand Cru Classe A with the 2012 vintage. It would have been great to include more of the recent vintages (we had only 09/10/14/15) to better understand when and to what extent that shift happened. Still, there are some very good wines with the 2010 being the WOTN (rated 96+ pts, the structuredness, freshness and purity of the vintage shines through), narrowly ahead of the 2008 (96pts, these 2008 right banks are singing these days and are incredibly fresh) as well as two wines with 95 pts, the 2005 (slightly closed but lots of complexity and no structural deficits) and the 2015 (showcasing the stylistic shift: there aren’t many 2015s out there that share the light- and airiness and perfect ripeness level and purity with their respective 2010 counterparts).
TN: Not overly expressive nose. On the palate, this shows a lot of substance with lots of dark and dark red fruit, lots of crushed rocks and fresh herbs and some oaky notes/coffee. The structure is quite good with velvety tanins, high but well integrated acidity but still just a touch bit drying towards the finish. But this is very sexy and gets sweeter by the minute without loosing its freshness. Nice creaminess and good balance overall. 93 pts today, but my guess is that this will be another vintage without a long life as it will dry out prematurely.
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2001 Château Angélus 92 Points
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
All wines tasted single blind. A few observations and conclusions: It seems that until more recently, Angelus focused on late picking, big wines with too much extraction. Most pre 2004 wines we tasted did not show well and are drying out or already have. The younger vintages showed better but only time will tell if the 2004 to 2015 vintages will age more gracefully. An experienced Angelus collector mentioned a style shift towards more finesse right after the promotion to Premier Grand Cru Classe A with the 2012 vintage. It would have been great to include more of the recent vintages (we had only 09/10/14/15) to better understand when and to what extent that shift happened. Still, there are some very good wines with the 2010 being the WOTN (rated 96+ pts, the structuredness, freshness and purity of the vintage shines through), narrowly ahead of the 2008 (96pts, these 2008 right banks are singing these days and are incredibly fresh) as well as two wines with 95 pts, the 2005 (slightly closed but lots of complexity and no structural deficits) and the 2015 (showcasing the stylistic shift: there aren’t many 2015s out there that share the light- and airiness and perfect ripeness level and purity with their respective 2010 counterparts).
TN: Not very expressive on the nose with some hints of dark fruits, herbs and minerality. With time more candied fruit on the nose, more precise (not precise at the start). On the palate this has a nice creaminess, fine not too ripe fruit, the first wine that I would call elegant but it‘s not hyper complex. Good length, good weight. Very nice but without greatness. 92 pts
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2002 Château Angélus 91 Points
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
All wines tasted single blind. A few observations and conclusions: It seems that until more recently, Angelus focused on late picking, big wines with too much extraction. Most pre 2004 wines we tasted did not show well and are drying out or already have. The younger vintages showed better but only time will tell if the 2004 to 2015 vintages will age more gracefully. An experienced Angelus collector mentioned a style shift towards more finesse right after the promotion to Premier Grand Cru Classe A with the 2012 vintage. It would have been great to include more of the recent vintages (we had only 09/10/14/15) to better understand when and to what extent that shift happened. Still, there are some very good wines with the 2010 being the WOTN (rated 96+ pts, the structuredness, freshness and purity of the vintage shines through), narrowly ahead of the 2008 (96pts, these 2008 right banks are singing these days and are incredibly fresh) as well as two wines with 95 pts, the 2005 (slightly closed but lots of complexity and no structural deficits) and the 2015 (showcasing the stylistic shift: there aren’t many 2015s out there that share the light- and airiness and perfect ripeness level and purity with their respective 2010 counterparts).
TN: Deep dark nose with dark red and dark berries, quite ripe but not too ripe, crushed rocks, wet slate and some fresh herbs. Could be more expressive and precise. On the palate this is nice with fresh dark fruit, herbs and mnerality, some hints of coffee, probably a bit drying towards the finish but with otherwise fine tannins. Good acidity, good length and balance. Missing a touch of creamy- and sexiness. Will likely not have a long life but today easily drinks on a 91 pts level.
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2003 Château Angélus 87 Points
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
All wines tasted single blind. A few observations and conclusions: It seems that until more recently, Angelus focused on late picking, big wines with too much extraction. Most pre 2004 wines we tasted did not show well and are drying out or already have. The younger vintages showed better but only time will tell if the 2004 to 2015 vintages will age more gracefully. An experienced Angelus collector mentioned a style shift towards more finesse right after the promotion to Premier Grand Cru Classe A with the 2012 vintage. It would have been great to include more of the recent vintages (we had only 09/10/14/15) to better understand when and to what extent that shift happened. Still, there are some very good wines with the 2010 being the WOTN (rated 96+ pts, the structuredness, freshness and purity of the vintage shines through), narrowly ahead of the 2008 (96pts, these 2008 right banks are singing these days and are incredibly fresh) as well as two wines with 95 pts, the 2005 (slightly closed but lots of complexity and no structural deficits) and the 2015 (showcasing the stylistic shift: there aren’t many 2015s out there that share the light- and airiness and perfect ripeness level and purity with their respective 2010 counterparts).
TN: Ripe and slightly alcoholic nose with ripe dark fruit. On the palate this a touch acidic and again with very dry tannins but there is a lot of fruit left and beside the ripe fruit also some surprisingly fresh layers but the wine has not as much substance as the other in the series (00/01/02). 87 pts today at best, they clearly overdone like many vintages in that period. Also, this is the weakest 2003 Bordeaux I‘ve had to date.
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2004 Château Angélus 94 Points
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
All wines tasted single blind. A few observations and conclusions: It seems that until more recently, Angelus focused on late picking, big wines with too much extraction. Most pre 2004 wines we tasted did not show well and are drying out or already have. The younger vintages showed better but only time will tell if the 2004 to 2015 vintages will age more gracefully. An experienced Angelus collector mentioned a style shift towards more finesse right after the promotion to Premier Grand Cru Classe A with the 2012 vintage. It would have been great to include more of the recent vintages (we had only 09/10/14/15) to better understand when and to what extent that shift happened. Still, there are some very good wines with the 2010 being the WOTN (rated 96+ pts, the structuredness, freshness and purity of the vintage shines through), narrowly ahead of the 2008 (96pts, these 2008 right banks are singing these days and are incredibly fresh) as well as two wines with 95 pts, the 2005 (slightly closed but lots of complexity and no structural deficits) and the 2015 (showcasing the stylistic shift: there aren’t many 2015s out there that share the light- and airiness and perfect ripeness level and purity with their respective 2010 counterparts).
TN: On the nose this is riper and full of coffee and toasty aromas, slighty overripe fruit too. On the palate this explodes with lots ripe and jammy fruit, cacao, toasty oak, lots of coffee, lots of sluttiness but beautifully stuctured with velvety tannins, good acidity, creamy structure, good balance. This is great although a slutty wine and hence not everybody’s cup of tea. 94/95 pts. Today.
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2005 Château Angélus 95 Points
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
All wines tasted single blind. A few observations and conclusions: It seems that until more recently, Angelus focused on late picking, big wines with too much extraction. Most pre 2004 wines we tasted did not show well and are drying out or already have. The younger vintages showed better but only time will tell if the 2004 to 2015 vintages will age more gracefully. An experienced Angelus collector mentioned a style shift towards more finesse right after the promotion to Premier Grand Cru Classe A with the 2012 vintage. It would have been great to include more of the recent vintages (we had only 09/10/14/15) to better understand when and to what extent that shift happened. Still, there are some very good wines with the 2010 being the WOTN (rated 96+ pts, the structuredness, freshness and purity of the vintage shines through), narrowly ahead of the 2008 (96pts, these 2008 right banks are singing these days and are incredibly fresh) as well as two wines with 95 pts, the 2005 (slightly closed but lots of complexity and no structural deficits) and the 2015 (showcasing the stylistic shift: there aren’t many 2015s out there that share the light- and airiness and perfect ripeness level and purity with their respective 2010 counterparts).
TN: Rather backward nose. Is not much there or is it hidden? On the palate this shows beautiful fresh and pure red and blue fruit, fresh forrest berries, some coffee notes. Quite fresh and luxurious. The freshness and lightness are highlights. Additional layers of herbs and minerality but dominated by the fresh fruit. Good structural frame without fault. Medium plus length. Not yet fully open for business, this got better by the minute and a second glass at the end of the tasting confirmed that. If the structure holds, this can become a 97+ pts wine. Today this is drinking on a 95 pts level.
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2006 Château Angélus 91 Points
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
All wines tasted single blind. A few observations and conclusions: It seems that until more recently, Angelus focused on late picking, big wines with too much extraction. Most pre 2004 wines we tasted did not show well and are drying out or already have. The younger vintages showed better but only time will tell if the 2004 to 2015 vintages will age more gracefully. An experienced Angelus collector mentioned a style shift towards more finesse right after the promotion to Premier Grand Cru Classe A with the 2012 vintage. It would have been great to include more of the recent vintages (we had only 09/10/14/15) to better understand when and to what extent that shift happened. Still, there are some very good wines with the 2010 being the WOTN (rated 96+ pts, the structuredness, freshness and purity of the vintage shines through), narrowly ahead of the 2008 (96pts, these 2008 right banks are singing these days and are incredibly fresh) as well as two wines with 95 pts, the 2005 (slightly closed but lots of complexity and no structural deficits) and the 2015 (showcasing the stylistic shift: there aren’t many 2015s out there that share the light- and airiness and perfect ripeness level and purity with their respective 2010 counterparts).
TN: Very ripe dark fruit, in addition some green streaks and fresh, acidic fruit notes on the nose. On the palate this is very fresh and light, missing a bit of substance but still a lot better without strucutral faults like many 90s Angelus. 91/92 pts.
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2008 Château Angélus 96 Points
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
All wines tasted single blind. A few observations and conclusions: It seems that until more recently, Angelus focused on late picking, big wines with too much extraction. Most pre 2004 wines we tasted did not show well and are drying out or already have. The younger vintages showed better but only time will tell if the 2004 to 2015 vintages will age more gracefully. An experienced Angelus collector mentioned a style shift towards more finesse right after the promotion to Premier Grand Cru Classe A with the 2012 vintage. It would have been great to include more of the recent vintages (we had only 09/10/14/15) to better understand when and to what extent that shift happened. Still, there are some very good wines with the 2010 being the WOTN (rated 96+ pts, the structuredness, freshness and purity of the vintage shines through), narrowly ahead of the 2008 (96pts, these 2008 right banks are singing these days and are incredibly fresh) as well as two wines with 95 pts, the 2005 (slightly closed but lots of complexity and no structural deficits) and the 2015 (showcasing the stylistic shift: there aren’t many 2015s out there that share the light- and airiness and perfect ripeness level and purity with their respective 2010 counterparts).
TN: Expressive- nose with ripe but fresh fruit, mostly in the red spectrum. Not overly exciting at first but more expressive and with additional layers of minerality, herbs and hints of toasty oak. On the palate this is great right from the go with lots of caramel, coffee balanced out by the fresh fruit which is pure and fresh. Very fine tannins, lots of acidity. Superb length. Probably not the weight of the great years but still great to drink today. Superb, from start to finish. Like the Ausone 2008, this wine, made in the same style, is easily worth 96 pts. I’ve tasted it again when the tasting was over and the initial impression was confirmed: stunning freshness, purity, complexity and precision.
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2009 Château Angélus 94 Points
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
All wines tasted single blind. A few observations and conclusions: It seems that until more recently, Angelus focused on late picking, big wines with too much extraction. Most pre 2004 wines we tasted did not show well and are drying out or already have. The younger vintages showed better but only time will tell if the 2004 to 2015 vintages will age more gracefully. An experienced Angelus collector mentioned a style shift towards more finesse right after the promotion to Premier Grand Cru Classe A with the 2012 vintage. It would have been great to include more of the recent vintages (we had only 09/10/14/15) to better understand when and to what extent that shift happened. Still, there are some very good wines with the 2010 being the WOTN (rated 96+ pts, the structuredness, freshness and purity of the vintage shines through), narrowly ahead of the 2008 (96pts, these 2008 right banks are singing these days and are incredibly fresh) as well as two wines with 95 pts, the 2005 (slightly closed but lots of complexity and no structural deficits) and the 2015 (showcasing the stylistic shift: there aren’t many 2015s out there that share the light- and airiness and perfect ripeness level and purity with their respective 2010 counterparts).
TN: Very ripe dark fruit compote on the nose, quite jammy. On the palate there is a luxurious creaminess, so much luxurious oak, so much ripe fruit, quite a lot of weight from start to finish. Super ripe fruit, slightly candied, lots of it jammy, coffee, earthy notes. Great to drink but this is a very slutty wine. Very slutty, and I’m not sure if it will have a long life. I fear it might dry out like many of the wines before. Today, however, this drinks on a 94/95 pts level. Was quite obvious that this must be the 2009.
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2010 Château Angélus 96 Points
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
All wines tasted single blind. A few observations and conclusions: It seems that until more recently, Angelus focused on late picking, big wines with too much extraction. Most pre 2004 wines we tasted did not show well and are drying out or already have. The younger vintages showed better but only time will tell if the 2004 to 2015 vintages will age more gracefully. An experienced Angelus collector mentioned a style shift towards more finesse right after the promotion to Premier Grand Cru Classe A with the 2012 vintage. It would have been great to include more of the recent vintages (we had only 09/10/14/15) to better understand when and to what extent that shift happened. Still, there are some very good wines with the 2010 being the WOTN (rated 96+ pts, the structuredness, freshness and purity of the vintage shines through), narrowly ahead of the 2008 (96pts, these 2008 right banks are singing these days and are incredibly fresh) as well as two wines with 95 pts, the 2005 (slightly closed but lots of complexity and no structural deficits) and the 2015 (showcasing the stylistic shift: there aren’t many 2015s out there that share the light- and airiness and perfect ripeness level and purity with their respective 2010 counterparts).
TN: At first, not much expression on the nose. With time this gets a biz more expressive with more fresh berries and minerality shining through. It would have been interesting to follow it over a few hours. On the palate there is this beautiful fresh red fruit, wonderfully weightless, with so much pure red fruit, fresh herbs, coffee, toast, earthy notes. The complete package with noticeable but very fine tannins, superb freshness which is perfectly integrated, an airy texture and feel and a quite long and expanding finish. In my book, this is the wine of the night and worth 96 pts. This confirms the impression our group had back in 2020 when we tasted the top 61 reds from 2010 and this came in 9th with an average score of 95.4 (I was less impressed back then - rated 92 pts - as I found it completely closed, this bottle was more open, at least on the palate).
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2014 Château Angélus 94 Points
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
All wines tasted single blind. A few observations and conclusions: It seems that until more recently, Angelus focused on late picking, big wines with too much extraction. Most pre 2004 wines we tasted did not show well and are drying out or already have. The younger vintages showed better but only time will tell if the 2004 to 2015 vintages will age more gracefully. An experienced Angelus collector mentioned a style shift towards more finesse right after the promotion to Premier Grand Cru Classe A with the 2012 vintage. It would have been great to include more of the recent vintages (we had only 09/10/14/15) to better understand when and to what extent that shift happened. Still, there are some very good wines with the 2010 being the WOTN (rated 96+ pts, the structuredness, freshness and purity of the vintage shines through), narrowly ahead of the 2008 (96pts, these 2008 right banks are singing these days and are incredibly fresh) as well as two wines with 95 pts, the 2005 (slightly closed but lots of complexity and no structural deficits) and the 2015 (showcasing the stylistic shift: there aren’t many 2015s out there that share the light- and airiness and perfect ripeness level and purity with their respective 2010 counterparts).
TN: Very ripe fruit on the nose. With time lots of coffee notes and more interesting. On the palate lots of ripe fruit caressing the tongue and lots of luxurious oak notes but not enough complexity to truly excite. With time the palate is dominated by the strong coffee and toasty notes of the oak. They obviously tried to overcome the rather mediocre vintage and they succeeded. Still, not that complex but good structural frame with slightly coarse tannins but a very well integrated acidity and a good balance. Fun to drink today but will it have a long life? 94 pts.
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2015 Château Angélus 95 Points
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
All wines tasted single blind. A few observations and conclusions: It seems that until more recently, Angelus focused on late picking, big wines with too much extraction. Most pre 2004 wines we tasted did not show well and are drying out or already have. The younger vintages showed better but only time will tell if the 2004 to 2015 vintages will age more gracefully. An experienced Angelus collector mentioned a style shift towards more finesse right after the promotion to Premier Grand Cru Classe A with the 2012 vintage. It would have been great to include more of the recent vintages (we had only 09/10/14/15) to better understand when and to what extent that shift happened. Still, there are some very good wines with the 2010 being the WOTN (rated 96+ pts, the structuredness, freshness and purity of the vintage shines through), narrowly ahead of the 2008 (96pts, these 2008 right banks are singing these days and are incredibly fresh) as well as two wines with 95 pts, the 2005 (slightly closed but lots of complexity and no structural deficits) and the 2015 (showcasing the stylistic shift: there aren’t many 2015s out there that share the light- and airiness and perfect ripeness level and purity with their respective 2010 counterparts).
TN: The nose is rather backward like in many 2015s these days but on the palate this is spectacular. Very ripe and fresh candied fruit. A broad array of all sorts and ripeness levels but never too ripe. So fresh and light, and with good substance with earthy notes, herbal, crushed rocks. Great complexity, good precision. Achieves the purity only the 2010 showed before. A great promise that Angelus can achieve such a purity of fruit and elegance even in rather hot years. That‘s a new era for this winery and a stark contrast to the „let’s please Parker with as much extraction and ripeness possible“ era. A 2015 that shares the lightness and purity of fruit of a 2010... that says a lot about the change in winemaking at Angelus. 95+ pts.
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