Opened this at the restaurant with a splash to let in some oxygen, for about thirty minutes, then poured into a decanter and tasted about 30 more mins later. Followed this over the next two hours (a generous pour to start with and another small pour to taste about an hour later). This wine is drinking remarkably well! Still youthful, especially for a 28 year old wine! Nose showed plenty of purple flower and dark fruit with hints of earth and cedar. Palate showed lots of youthful fruit, mostly cassis, dark cherry and blackberry, which took center stage, with a nice compliment of tertiary flavors singing background vocals of bramble, earth, leather and tobacco. Finish was medium long and begged you to take another sip. What a great start to a truly epic night! Easy 96+ to 97!

As a side note, I really wanted to score this 97+, but 98 is my top score so far, and while this wine was awesome, others were even better, but none surpassed my 98 threshold...so I downgraded this to a 96+/97 to account for some even better wines!

Double decanted one hour, then slow-O at the table for another hour. OK....so I tasted Grange once at the winery, but it was a 13 and three years ago....quite good, but quite young too....this was my first tasting of a Grange with some age, and I was looking forward to it! I will say, even my sky high expectations, this wine did not disappoint!

Nose was perfumed with lavender, cherry blossom and dark fruit, with hints of cedar, tar and tobacco. Palate was kaleidoscope of fruit, including black, red and blue fruit. Acidity kept the fruit fresh and lively, and like the Vega Sicilia that preceded it, the fruit took center stage. However, this showed off secondary flavors much better, with sweet tobacco, cigar box, eucalyptus, leather and earth all joining in chorus to make the sweetest music! This wine was drinking superbly, and in a perfect place for my palate! I just hope my Grange's show as well when I open them....although I will need to wait quite a few more years for them to get the proper age on them! A real treat, and a 97+...my #2 wine of the night!

Splash decant then slo-O for about 1 1/2 hours. What can I say....I am a Harlan whore...I love Harlan! Not sure how they do it, but their wines have such a luxurious mouthfeel, they would likely seduce me even if they weren't so darn tasty! I don't know if it was bottle variation, extra time in the cellar, or the decant time, but this bottle lived up to its potential! This was on par with the 1996 I fell in love with!

Nose was sweet, perfumed purple and white flowers with notes of cherry and blackberry liqueur and some saddle leather, graphite and earth....palate was defined by silky/velvety tannins wrapped around gorgeous black, blue and purple fruit, with pencil shavings, some earth and tar notes, rich dark chocolate and sweet toasted oak. An absolute pleasure to drink and my WOTN! 98...ties my highest rating to date.

As a side note, I set my benchmark at 98 in case I ever come across a better wine...so far, that has not happened! I feel like my 98 may well be other's 100, FWIW....

About a 60 min decant. What a stunning wine! Youthful? Of course. But the nose was intoxicating! Violets galore with a mixture of dark fruit, red cherries, milk chocolate and Christmas spice, followed by hints of bramble, cedar, anise and earth. The palate was delicious, but still quite primary. Dark and red fruit and chocolate covered cherries, with violets, bramble, coffee and sweet tobacco, and some spice notes lurking in the background peeking out periodically. Wine is silky smooth and shows no heat at. all. In a great window now, IMO and for my palate, but I do think it will get even better with more time! Certainly has the fruit and backbone to age further and gain some additional tertiary goodness! 96+ to 97 today, and upside potential!

PnP - This wine is drinking quite well, albeit young, at 10 years old! The bottle is very cool with an etched label and gold leaf filling....to commemorate Angelus' classification as a Grand Cru/First Growth wine, along with 3 others in St Emillion (Pavie, Ausone, and Cheval Blanc).

Nose is great! Shows sweet floral notes, dark fruit and some cedar, vanilla and earthy notes, wrapped in spice and forest floor. Palate is still fruit dominated with black and purple fruit at the forefront along with some cherry and red plum, this stunning wine also shows some tertiary notes of chocolate, mushroom, unagi and bramble notes with hints of graphite and earth. This will only get better! I think Angelus is a wine built for the long haul, and while very tasty now, will improve quite a bit with additional bottle age. For those who like hedonistic wines, it is in a good spot now, but there is definitely plenty of fruit and acid to age this wine a few more years to reap the rewards of added tertiary flavors. 95+ today for its hedonistic pleasure....should gain more points with additional aging.

Slo-O for an hour and half, then decanted - California makes some damn good Bordeaux blend wines, and this is one of them! This is drinking quite well now, but you tell it still has a lot more going on than it is showing!

Nose was perfumed and showed lots of black and red fruit, graphite, baking spice and forest floor. Palate was rocking even more with lots of dark fruit coupled with chocolate notes and hints of dark cherry. The palate also showed some earth, leather, pencil and tobacco, with well-integrated toasted oak. Tannins were firm, but smooth and the wine showed no detectable heat....The shows lots of structure and will be quite a rock star in a few more years! Very approachable now, and 95+ to 96 points, but should pick up another point with more time in the bottle!

2 hours slo-O - Another rocking wine! Young? Duh! But rocking nonetheless! I love the 2018 vintage....it is one of the few vintages I actually can taste the structure of the wine! Another Napa Bordeaux-blend wine that shows plenty of hedonistic fruit, but has layers of complexity too. This wine will definitely get much better with time!

Nose showed plenty of purple lilac, some black and blue fruit, and some herbal notes with a hint of mellow spice. Palate showed layers of dark fruit and red fruit, with some chocolate and earthy notes, followed by some mushroom and old leather notes, as well as sweet oak and subtle hints of allspice. This is drinking quite well now (better than at the winery), but will definitely further improve with additional bottle age. I would wait until this is at least 10 yrs old before opening to really see this wines potential. 95+ today, even better tomorrow!

30 min decant - This wine needed more air and more age....don't get me wrong, it tastes great now, but this is another wine that you know will reward patience! Not sure how he does it, but Nigel crafts some damn good wine, and this is no exception!

Nose was perfumed with lots of dark fruit and some cherry and chocolate notes with hints of bramble, cedar and spice. Palate shows tons of structure (I know I sound like a broken record, but you can actually taste the layers of fruit and secondary flavors - remarkable structure!), with black and purple fruit, some red fruit and some cocoa dust, with flavors of earth, tree bark, coffee and tobacco lurking in the background and periodically making their presence known! With some additional age, the secondary flavors should be more prevalent and compliment the rich core of fruit. A wine built for the long haul....can't wait to taste this in the future....makes you wish time travel was possible! 95+ to 96 today, higher tomorrow!

30 min decant - I typically never drink young Bordeaux, and there is absolutely no doubt this will be even better than it was today,,,,but OMG was it delicious today! This wine should flirt with perfection in about 20+ years.

Nose showed lots of diverse aromas, including dark fruit, charred meat, violets and cigar, with hints of vanilla bean, cedar and cocoa bean. Palate showed lush black and red fruit, asian spice, and dark chocolate with lots of earth, tobacco, tar and leather, with hints of anise and eucalyptus. Tannins were fine grained and smooth, and the finish was luscious and long. This is already a seductive wine, but will be so much better down the road!

96+ points today, but a chance perfection with an additional one or two decades of bottle age!

Splash decant - This was a last minute decision, and a good one at that! A great way to end a great evening! Another stellar 2018 wine.....I get the hype on these! Nose is floral, with creme de cassis and crushed rock with some earthy notes. Palate is filled with red fruit and kirsch, as well as earth and limestone, also showing leather, tobacco and sweet toasty oak. Delicious now, but even better later! 95+ to 96 today for its hedonistic pleasure, with a chance to add to that in the future!