Château Angélus St.-Emilion 2021

Beautiful depth here, with currants and blackberries, as well as hints of fresh herbs and wet earth. Medium-to full-bodied, layered and long, with depth and beauty. Savory. Impressive for the vintage. Persistent. James Suckling 95 Points

Angélus,  an outstanding terroir Situated less than a kilometre from the famous Saint-Emilion bell tower, on the much-vaunted south-fathing "foot of the hill", Château Angélus benefits from an outstanding terroir composed of a large proportion of Cabernet Franc. It is this unique character born of the south-facing Saint-Emilion slopes that make it a signature every year. Since 1782, Château Angélus has been managed by the de Boüard family. It was classified Grand Cru Classé in 1954 during the first Saint-Emilion classification. Thanks to the constant evolution of its practices and techniques, both for the terroir and the typicity of its wines, the 2012 classification promoted Angélus to Premier Grand Cru Classé A alongside Ausone, Cheval Blanc and Pavie. 2012 is also the year of transmission, as the 8th generation, embodied by Stéphanie de Boüard-Rivoal, took over the management of the estate. Passionate, dynamic and determined, she is committed to consolidating and developing the reputation of Angélus, driven each year by the same high standards in the production of a wine of excellence. 2021, The Unexpected Presentation of the vintage: https://bit.ly/Angélus2021 After a mild, rainy winter and then spring frosts (which were mostly kept at bay), a very long, damp, rainy period put our teams under stress. Several outbreaks of downy mildew occured and were particularly difficult to control bearing in our mind our ongoing conversion to organic farming . In mid-August, summer finally arrived, and a period of fine weather set in and lasted beyond the picking of the Cabernet. The first Merlots was brought in on 20th September and showed subtle, balanced juices with lots of fruit character and freshness. The Cabernets, having made the most of the excellent weather conditions were harvested at the beginning of October. A historic Grand Vin The colour is amazingly bright, deep and intense. The nose, at first discreet, opens out to reveal the subtle, complex aromas of Cabernet Franc, the real marker of this vintage, together with notes of red berry fruits and subtle floral and spicy hints. The palate, which is fresh and vertical, displays precision and lenght of flavour. The long, delicate finish on the palate is marked by the high percentage of Cabernet franc (60%), which has left its special stamp on this unique vintage in Angélus' history, and really unexpected!