Excellent color considering the vintage, as it's still a dark ruby. Plum, red currant, old library book, mushroom, leather, and anise. Light-medium bodied. A bit subdued on the attack. Tannins have essentially resolved. Medium length finish with average acidity. Not terribly interesting or memorable.

Medium ruby color. A spicy nose of red fruit, raspberry, earth, tobacco, and herbs. Medium bodied, and still a bit tannic. Good length on the finish, but has a hint of bitterness. An austere vintage of Cheval Blanc.

Had this wine a year ago, and this bottle was consistent with that one. A nice nose, but awkward on the palate. The fruit is fading. Black currant, barnyard, leather, mushroom, and chocolate. Rustic on the palate. Tannins almost fully resolved. A medium length finish with high acidity. Drink this now if you have it.

Tasted this in Saint-Émilion a few months ago and noted that this wine is on its way down. This bottle was only slightly better. Medium ruby color, with lightening of the edges. Red fruit, medicinal, tomato, and slightly green. Not terribly interesting on the palate, but it did improve a bit with some aeration. Tannins soft and almost fully resolved. Lacks a bit of freshness on the finish. While this wine has some flaws, it is somewhat charming. But on this night, I preferred the 1988 to this wine.

On this evening, drank the 1988 and the 1986 Angelus. This vintage was much darker and richer than the 1986. Dark fruits, anise, curry, earth, truffle, and espresso. Really nice complexity. Nice concentration on the palate. Some tannic grip that seemed to linger. Medium length finish. An interesting wine, but nowhere near the two vintages that followed this one.

Medium dark ruby color. A beautiful nose of plum, black cherry, truffle, and toasted chocolate. A full, nice mouthfeel. Still tannic like many other 1995s from Bordeaux. Seemed to soften and improve over time. High level of acidity with good freshness on the finish.

Another excellent 1998 from the right bank. Dark ruby color. A lovely nose of dark fruits, Asian spices, licorice, truffle, and fruitcake. A really nice, smooth mouthfeel. Excellent concentration. A long finish, but does show a slight amount of heat. Medium level acidity. Just starting to hit its stride, this has many years to go. Nicely structured and lots of pure, ripe fruit to give this a lot of longevity.

I absolutely love this vintage of Angélus, and consider it to be one of the best vintages to drink right now. However, it is still young, and I am certain this will only get better. Dark ruby color. Red fruits, truffle, spice, sous bois, and eucalyptus. Full-bodied, complex, and charming on the palate. Incredible freshness on the finish with excellent length. Is this my favorite 2001 from Bordeaux? It's certainly one of the best.

Still quite young. Dark opaque ruby color. Plum, tart cherry, truffle, earth, Asian spices, and chocolate. Full-bodied on the palate. Still has some noticeable oak undertones that need to integrate. The tannins are firm. Medium acidity. Since it is still quite young, I would probably hold this for a few more years. It also deserves some time for its tannins to soften. This wine should be very impressive in ten years or so.

Dark opaque ruby color. Very dark fruit, blackberry, licorice, truffle, and rich chocolate. A full-bodied mouthfeel, with nice complexity on the palate. A medium-plus length finish with average level of acidity. It was interesting to compare this to the 2003 Angelus; this wine was much darker and richer, with a bit less acidity and freshness. Still, the nose on this wine can get you hooked.