Review of the Estate

Named Chateau Angelus because the sound of the Angelus bells, from three, different, nearby churches that can all be heard in the vineyard at the same time, for eight generations the De Boüard de Laforest family have owned and run Chateau Angelus which is situated in Saint-Émilion. Today, Chateau Angelus is headed by Stéphanie de Boüard.

In 1954, Chateau Angelus became a classed growth and, in 1996, it was further elevated from Grand Cru Classé to Premier Grand Cru Classé B. In 2012 Chateau Angelus was again raised, to what is the region's highest classification level, Premier Grand Cru Classé A.

The grapes harvested at Chateau Angelus are meticulously sorted in the cellar, using three sorting tables, and fermentation takes place in temperature-controlled, stainless steel tanks, concrete tanks, and oak vats. After fermentation, Chateau Angelus wine is racked into new, oak barrels. Blending and assemblage is carried out following the first summer of ageing. Then the wine is then aged for another 20-26 months.

Vineyard

Surface area: 57.8 acres

Grape Varieties: 50% Merlot, 47% Cabernet Franc and 3% Cabernet Sauvignon

Average age of vines: 30 years

Density of plantation: 7,000 - 8,000 vines per hectare

Average yields: 32 hectoliters per hectare

Average cases produced: 6,000 per year

Plateau of maturity: 4 - 25 years

Robert Parker Angelus 2000 Review

Score: 97 Points

2000: What can you say about Hubert de Bouard and Angelus? Each year they seem to turn out one great wine after another, and the 2000 showed its merit in two different tastings. A wine of great intensity, bluish/black, with a big, sweet kiss of graphite, crushed rocks, blueberry, spring floral garden and blackberry liqueur, unctuously textured as well as pure, dense, and stunningly rich, this full-bodied wine can be drunk now or cellared for another 25-30 years.

Score: 97                  Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (189), June 2010