2024 Chateau Angelus, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru

Very classy, the transparency of this Angelus giving brilliance to the pure fruit in such a difficult growing season. Medium-bodied, it has a compacted palate and creamy, polished tannins. Very melted and harmonized. Dark cherries, raspberries and orange peel come through beautifully with some stones. 60% merlot and 40% cabernet franc.

A blend of 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Franc aging 50% (Cabernet Franc) in foudre and the rest in new oak, the 2024 Château Angélus has a deeper ruby hue as well as a beautiful nose of black raspberries, cassis, graphite, crushed stone, and flowers. It's wonderfully pure, has medium-bodied richness, a focused yet incredibly elegant mouthfeel, and ultra-fine tannins. It's a beautiful, classy Angélus that might surprise with its longevity.

Vivid plum colour, cedar and gunsmoke on the opening, skilfully and carefully put together, slim through the palate, but this is very clearly finessed, sleek, with quiet confidence, and pumice stone texture, cherry pit, squid ink, damson, rosebud, Cabernet Franc dominant in terms of its floral aromatics. 39hl/h yield, 40th anniversary vintage of Hubert de Böuard. This will for sure be ready to drink earlier than many vintages of Angélus, but it is well structured and will age for many years to come. No chaptilisation.

The 2024 Angelus is very fine. It is the first vintage I have tasted that captures the newer approach at Angelus, one where the wines are not as extracted as in the past. Black cherry, plum, spice, new leather and menthol fill out the layers effortlessly. Here, too, the wine shows superb balance and real textural presence. The blend is 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Franc, with the Merlot being raised in 80% new oak and 20% once-filled barrels, and the Cabernet Franc in equal parts foudres and new smaller French oak barrels. The 2024 is mid-weight, classy and polished.

A blend of 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Franc, cropped at a very honorable 40 hectoliters per hectare, the 2024 Angélus has turned out well, offering up aromas of dark berries, minty plums and violet, framed by a deft touch of toasty oak. Medium-bodied, ample and suave, it's polished and textural, with sweet but present tannins and creditable persistence on the finish.

The Merlot for the 2024 Angélus was picked from September 11 to September 28 and the Cabernet Franc from September 29 to October 3. The Merlot aged in new oak, with some aged in white barrels. Half of the Cabernet Franc aged in foudres and the rest in new oak and one-year-old barrels. This has an intriguing bouquet that deserves a little more reflection than some of its peers. A touch of fish scales commingles with black olive tapenade alongside dark berry fruit in what you might describe as a "cool" nose. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins. The 2024 is certainly a more linear Angélus, saline with a liberal sprinkling of black pepper. It gains modest depth on the graphite-tinged and Cabernet-driven finish, which is drier than previous vintages (as expected in this vintage). There is fine salinity with a shorter aftertaste than you would find in a warm vintage. This is well-crafted and just needs more flesh on the slender finish. Maybe that will develop during its élevage? It will be an enjoyable Angélus rather than a profound one destined for long-term aging.

60% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Franc. 40 hl/ha. Hubert de Boüard’s 40th vintage. Cask sample. Deep, bright, purple colour. Fragrant nose with blueberry and floral notes. Real depth through the mid palate with plentiful but finely honed tannins. Length on the finish, the fruit flavour lingering. Structured and elegant with no hard edges. (JL)