Getting to meet the newest (8th Generation) Estate Director and third female Director in the history of Chateau Angelus, Stéphanie de Boüard-Rivoal, was a huge treat for me. Add that we would meet over dinner at Wolfgang Puck at Hotel Bel-Air – and taste at least five different vintages – and I was over the top with delight.
What I Learned
- In 2012 Chateau Angelus, a Premier Grand Cru, was awarded a “class A” distinction.
- The 2012 vintage bottle is completely different looking from the others with gold embossing instead of a front label. You can read more about it in this Forbes article.
- The bell shown on the label does exist, and rings three times daily.
You can hear it yourself without traveling to Saint-Emilion here. There is now a chip hidden in that bell to avoid counterfeiting.
- The name Angelus is in reference to a Catholic prayer.
- The estate vineyards are predominantly Cabernet Franc and Merlot.
- Prices, between $350 to $450, can increase 100% after release. (The restaurant had one vintage for $880.)
The Wine
Stéphanie was enchanting, the venue and food lovely – all eclipsed by some remarkable vintages that were chosen to show us the range and depth of the wines. We tasted in this order:
2014: (Bottled September 2016, this latest release marks the 30th vintage with a banner on the bottle). Ripe and dark with black fruit as well as raspberry, earth and smoke. Remarkably open and ready to drink.
online pharmacy http://miamihealth.com/images/jpg/cipro.html no prescription drugstore
94 Eve pts.
2012: (With a gold embossed bottle in honor of the new class A distinction.) Great fruit flavors like plum and blueberry were followed by mushroom, spice and had a great backbone. This was my favorite. 97 Eve pts.
2007: (Stéphanie said she loved this one.) Big fruit that included black plums, blackberry, a bit softer on the spice, cigar and dark tannins that were starting to soften. The red fruit really opened up in the mouth. 94 Eve pts.
2006: The fruit – red to black – had aged perfectly; the wine was dry, mildly spiced and held a perfect balance. 97 Eve pts.
2010: (Thought to be the most outstanding.) Bolder fruit, peppery, tannic, Stéphanie said it was opulent, one of the best they’ve produced, and my second favorite. 97 Eve pts.
https://www.instagram.com/chateauangelus/
https://www.facebook.com/chateauAngelus
Eve Bushman has a Level Two Intermediate Certification from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust (WSET), a “certification in first globally-recognized course” as an American Wine Specialist ® from the North American Sommelier Association (NASA), Level 1 Sake Award from WSET, was the subject of a 60-minute Wine Immersion video, authored “Wine Etiquette for Everyone” and has served as a judge for the Long Beach Grand Cru. You can email Eve@EveWine101.com to ask a question about wine or spirits. You can also seek her marketing advice via Eve@EveBushmanConsulting.
online pharmacy http://miamihealth.com/images/jpg/augmentin.html no prescription drugstore
com
