Angelus

2021: "Le Sublime" The wine displays a brilliant, dense, very dark, almost black colour with dark purple tones, mirroring the perfect ripeness of the grapes and their optimal pH level. The nose exhibits intense aromas of juicy black fruits, such as wild cherries and blackberries. Elegant floral notes then come through, such as peony and violets. Refined tannins underpin a long-lasting, spherical, voluptuous structure on the palate, while the flavours linger long, bringing a sensation of freshness and harmony. This vintage displays a seldom-achieved degree of elegance, while the highest levels of purity and precision are reached with this blend of extraordinary Merlot and characterful Cabernet Franc.

Wine Advocate 97: The 2020 Angélus has turned out superbly and underlines this estate's continuing shift to a more elegant, integrated style that offers a purer expression of its terroir. A blend of 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Franc, it unwinds in the glass with aromas of cherries, wild berries, rose petals, mint and subtle hints of licorice, followed by a medium to full-bodied, beautifully layered and vibrant palate that's deep, precise and penetrating, concluding with a mouthwateringly chalky finish. Some 120 hectoliters of Cabernet Franc, amounting to around 20% of the blend, were matured in foudre this year, which no doubt helps to account for the significantly reduced oak impact in the 2020.

James Suckling 99: Blackberry and plum character with chocolate, too. Oyster shell. Full and very firm with a linear sensibility. Tight and powerful. Very pure fruit. Tension and energy there. Polished tannins. Some coffee bean and chocolate. Give this at least five or six years. 60% merlot and 40% cabernet franc. Try after 2028.

Vinous 96-98: The 2020 Angélus is shaping up to be tremendous. Bright and punchy, with terrific energy, the 2020 is more linear and focused than any recent vintages I can remember tasting. Crushed red berry fruit, iron, smoke, mint, chalk and dried herbs all build in the glass. In 2020, Angélus is less flashy than it can be. That is a very good thing, for those who can wait. Harvest took place between September 18 to 30. One of the major evolutions here in recent years has been the use of foudres to age the Cabernet Franc. Half of the Franc is now raised in large format oak, and that seems to bringing added freshness to the Grand Vin.

Wine Advocate 94+: The 2021 Angélus unwinds in the glass to reveal aromas of dark berries, plums and cherries mingled with rose petals, forest floor, spices and pencil shavings, framed by creamy new oak. Medium to full-bodied, layered and vibrant, it's taut and structured, with a deep core of fruit, chalky tannins and a long, perfumed, vanillin-inflected finish. As readers will remember, it's a blend of fully 60% Cabernet Franc with 40% Merlot, incorporating foudres in addition to 225-liter barriques, and the rich, toasty oak signature of yesteryear is now firmly in the background, even if the wine still carries a youthful patina. The 2021's classically balanced profile will reward a bit of bottle age.

James Suckling 95: This is so delicious, with lovely focused cherries, flowers, dried sandalwood and some Indian spices. Medium-bodied with fine tannins and just a touch of wood to the pure fruit and a subtle and refined finish. 40% merlot and 60% cabernet franc, the most cab franc in a long time.

Vinous 93-95: 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.

Decanter 96: Rich and dense aromatics, lovely black cherry and dried flowers, the Cabernet Franc bringing all the aromas. Supple and smooth, so alive in the mouth yet this has density and depth, something to chew on. It’s not plush, but there’s texture from start to finish, with delicacy and finesse to the expression. A highly drinkable Angélus that has really benefited from dialling back on the power. Great freshness and precision, while feeling as if it will age well. Impressively keeps the structure and density but with energy.

Wine Advocate 97+: The 2022 Angélus has turned out beautifully in bottle, reflecting the estate's shift toward a livelier, more integrated style. Wafting from the glass with aromas of sweet cherries, blackberries and mulberries mingled with rose petals and violets, it's full-bodied, velvety and concentrated, with a deep, enveloping core of succulent fruit, integrated tannins and a long, perfumed finish. It was bottled in the last week of July 2024.

James Suckling 99: This is a powerful Angelus, showing incredible depth and intensity as well as tannins that are totally melted into the wine, giving incredible energy for such a young bottle. It makes me think of the great reds of the 1940s or 1950s but with modern precision. Full-bodied but agile, this has endless length, the blackberries and crushed stones, light herbs and dark chocolate showing throughout. Such balance. Al dente. 60% merlot and 40% cabernet franc. So attractive now but will age forever.

Vinous 97: The 2022 Angélus is still very contained on the nose, therefore, for this sample, I transferred the wine several times between two glasses in order to pry it open. It has a delineated and tensile bouquet, with blackberry, briar and light marine scents percolating through with time. Hints of oyster shell emerge from the limestone soils. The palate is medium-bodied, fresh and saline, with gentle grip, fine tannins and a poised, persistent finish. There is a linearity to this Angélus that I appreciate due to the 40% Cabernet Franc. It's very minerally on the aftertaste. This is an excellent Angélus that will age perhaps more slowly than its peers.

Wine Advocate 95-96: A classic blend of 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Franc, the 2023 Angélus reflects this estate's continuing evolution with regard to ripeness, extraction and élevage choices, offering up attractive aromas of dark berries and plums mingled with hints of mint, potpourri, rose petals, vine smoke and orange zest. Medium to full-bodied, fleshy and supple, with a velvety attack that segues into a core of pure, pillowy fruit framed by supple, powdery tannins, it's cool and harmonious, concluding with a long, perfumed finish. This is a terrific effort that foregrounds the vintage and the terroir at their best.

James Suckling 97-98: The transparency of fruit and the finesse is really something here. There’s depth and beauty to the pristine, fresh fruit. Full-bodied and muscular with wonderful tannins that provide tension and form. Subtle and weightless, this is a thought-provoking young wine. 60% merlot and 40% cabernet franc.

Wine Advocate 96-98: A blend of equal parts Cabernet Franc and Merlot, the 2025 Angélus is already beautifully harmonious, even at this early stage. Unfurling in the glass with notes of sweet dark berries and plums mingled with notions of violets, licorice and spices, it's medium- to full-bodied, layered and multidimensional, with ripe tannins, lively acids and a long, perfumed finish. Much like its 2022 predecessor, the 2025 underlines that this estate's shift toward greater purity and subtler élevage choices can be sustained even in historically warm years.

James Suckling 99-100: The pureness of fruit is exceptional, with a long and linear palate of wonderfully curated raspberry, cherry and blueberry aromas and flavors. Medium-bodied. You almost don’t see the tannins, but you know they are there. So silky and endless. It has the core of fruit of the best of the vintage. 50% merlot and 50% cabernet franc.

Vinous 95-97+: The 2025 Angélus was picked from September 10 to 20 and Stéphanie de Bouard told me that they halved the pumpovers. The Cabernet Franc is aged half in foudres and half in new barrel, and the Merlot is half in new barrel and half in one-year-old barrels that were used for the 2023 vintage. The alcohol is 14.05% with a pH of 3.6, many grapes showing a gram or more malic acid. This note comes from a narrower Riedel glass that showed the wine in a better and more accurate light. The bouquet opens with blackberry, raspberry, light cassis scents and a touch of iodine, well defined, the oak seated politely in the background. The palate is silky smooth with filigree tannins, very well judged acidity plus palpable underlying sapid notes that come through towards the finish. Fine tension, very focused with a very persistent aftertaste, this is an Angélus with great potential and it should give 25 to 30 years' drinking pleasure.

Decanter 97: great wine from Angélus this year. Blackcurrant and blue fruit aromas with some dried flowers and soft herbal aspects. Round and generous, wide and filling with amazing definition and creamy texture that few wines have this year. Energy and depth, purity and focus – this is juicy at its core with strawberry and red cherry, mouthwatering. Not an immediate showstopper but this grows in flavour and depth with intensity but no heaviness. Beautiful delineation with a sharp, precise, forward persistence. The energy and balance is flawless. Really an elegant, elongated wine with such nuance of flavour. I love this and think they've done a super job – juicy, this brings a smile to your face. The last vintage with this high a proportion of Cabernet Franc (reflecting plantings and similar berry size was 2014 and 1995). 3.6pH. A yield of 30hl/ha. 50% Cabernet Franc ageing in foudres, 50% in new barrels; Merlot 70% new oak and 30% in one-year-old barrels.