2021 Chateau Angelus - St. Emilion Premier Grand Cru Classe A

Decanter.com – 95 pts – GH: *Blackcurrant purée on the nose, so seductive and heady, concentrated and intense but lively too with some wild flower scents. Succulent on the first sip, you get the mouthwatering red cherry and raspberry fruit but this then turns serious and direct. Linear, focused, driving with layers of flavour giving this both a density but also an aerial element to it. In some ways, there’s a shyness here, a discretion, such sleek silky tannins that softly frame the flavours which are to the fore right now. Red cherry, plum and damson sit alongside clove, cedar, black chocolate and liquorice coming from the Cabernet Franc giving a spicy tang sustaining the wine - the highest amount of Cabernet Franc ever used in the grand vin at 60%. Each element is so well positioned and in high definition, you feel the muscles and backbone but this has exceptional finesse with all the tiny details on show. An excellent effort in 2021. 100% new oak. The first full vintage with technical director Benjamin Laforet.* - 04/2022

Falstaff Magazin – 94 pts – PM: *Dunkles Rubingranat, violette Reflexe, zarte Randaufhellung. Frische Preiselbeeren, reife Weichselfrucht, Nuancen von Brombeeren, ein Hauch von schwarzem Pfeffer, kandierte Orangenzesten. Straff, rotbeerig, gute Dichte, feine, reife Tannine, frische Struktur, rote Kirschen und Johannisbeeren im Abgang, zeigt große Länge, sicheres Reifepotenzial.* - 05/2022

Vinum Magazin – 18/20 pts: *Interessante, besonders fruchtige Aromatik, grosser Transparenz; saftiger Auftakt, besondere Rasse, Spannkraft und Länge, herbes, kantiges, tragendes Tannin; besonders charaktervoller Wein im Stil der ”klassischen” Jahre, der hervorragend reifen wird.*

WeinWisser – 18+/20pts – GL, TW: *60 % Cabernet Franc, 40 % Merlot, 13.7 Vol.-%, 24 hl/ha. Was für ein subtiles Parfüm, reife Pflaume, Waldhimbeere und verführerisches Veilchenparfüm. Im zweiten Ansatz Lakritze, zarte Graphitnoten und Preiselbeersaft. Am komplexen Gaumen seidige Textur, herrliche Extraktfülle, edle Salznote, straff geschnitten, engmaschiges Tanningerüst und wohlgeformter Körper. Im konzentrierten Finale rote Kirsche, erkalteter Früchtetee und fein körnige Adstringenz. Der höchste Anteil an Cabernet Franc, der je in einem Blend verwendet wurde.* – 04/2022

JancisRobinson.com – 17+/20pts – JL: *60% Cabernet Franc, 40% Merlot. First time with this much Cabernet Franc in the blend. 23 hl/ha. Cask sample. Dark, bright hue. Discreet floral aromas. Big tannic frame with a chunk of polished tannins. Long and digeste but very embryonic, the oak still apparent. Hopefully the fruit will continue to match the structure.* - 04/2022

Vinous.com – (94-96) pts – AG: *For the first time ever, Angélus is 60% Cabernet Franc and 40% Merlot in 2021. There's terrific density and power, especially within the context of the year. Black cherry, chocolate, spice, menthol and lavender all build nicely in the glass. The 2021 has quite a bit of richness, and its 14% alcohol, a bit lower than the recent norm, works quite well in this vintage. All it needs is a bit of time to help soften some of the raw contours that are present today.* - 04/2022

Vinous.com – (93-95) pts – NM: *The 2021 Angélus contains 60% Cabernet Franc, the highest percentage ever, and also reflects an increasing use of wooden /foudres/ (half the Cabernet Franc or 30% of the whole blend). It has a more understated bouquet compared to the bravura vintages of the last three years, demanding gentle coaxing to reveal scents of brambly black fruit, potpourri, hints of orange pith and a little /sous-bois/. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-grained tannins, and quite sapid, the Cabernet Franc lending a slightly more chalky texture and a linear, focused finish. Displaying fine tension throughout, though not astoundingly long, this Angelus deserves 4–5 years in bottle to show its true potential.* - 04/2022

Thewinecellarinsider.com – (94-96) pts – JL: *The nose takes a few swirls to find all the tobacco leaf, flowers, espresso, allspice, cloves, cinnamon, and red pit fruits. The wine is soft, silky and elegant. There is a freshness and refinement as well as a purity to the fruits on the medium-bodied palate that you also find in the finish, leaving you with black raspberries, strawberries, a hint of orange rind and red plums on the backend. The wine blends 60% Cabernet Franc with 40% Merlot, representing the highest percentage of Cabernet Franc in the blend in the history of the estate. In the years to come, I hope they continue increasing the Cabernet Franc in the blend. 13.5% ABV, 3.65 pH. The yields were low at 26 hectoliters per hectare. Harvesting took place, September 14-October 2. Drink from 2025-2055.* - 05/2022