Chateau Angelus 2018
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An Exceptional Vintage at the Great Chateau Angelus
While the beginning of the year left little hope for success, because of a very late vintage and a troubling vegetative cycle, the magnificent Premier Grand Cru Classe A, Chateau Angelus has managed to surpass all expectations with its 2018 vintage.
Nicknamed "The Phoenix", the Chateau Angelus 2018 is one of the greatest vintages ever produced by the emblematic Saint-Emilion property.
The climatic conditions at the beginning of 2018 required constant attention and care on the part of the viticultural team. But, in mid-July, a miracle occurred: an exceptional summer, which lasted until the date of the harvest. Cool nights and sufficient water reserves saved the fruit from water stress and allowed it to ripen perfectly and achieve an abundance of polyphenols, while maintaining a lively acidity.
2018 was also the first vintage producing during the conversion to organic farming that the property, located on the Right Bank of Bordeaux, is currently undergoing.
The Chateau Angelus 2018 results from a blend of Merlot (65%) and Cabernet Franc (35%). The Merlot shows off a great freshness, while the Cabernet Franc from very old vines, planted in great clay-limestone soils, completes the blend.
The Chateau Angelus 2018 displays a deep color, while the nose is packed with the pure essence of black fruits. On the palate, the wine reveals a slight sweetness, perfectly balanced by a beautiful, elegant tension, which highlights the refined and velvety structure of the tannins. The finish is very long, revealing lingering fruit and spice notes, contributed by the Cabernet Franc.
Endowed with a very unique organoleptic profile, the Chateau Angelus 2018 can easily be compared to vintages that have marked the history of Bordeaux, vintages like the 2000, 2005 and 2010. An exceptional wine, the Chateau Angelus 2018 has everything it needs to surpass its neighbors in the many years of bottle-aging still ahead of it.
'This year we have slightly less Cabernet Franc in the blend because we are only using the oldest vines, planted by my grandfather, as a tribute,' StAéphanie de Bouard-Rivoal said. 'These are 60- to 80-year-old Cabernet Franc vines.' From 2018, 10% of the entire Angélus crop will be aged in large oak foudres. These produce tighter, more perfumed, brighter wines from less oxygen exposure, Stéphanie commented. The 2018 Angélus is blended of 65% Merlot and 35% Cabernet Franc, to be aged 18-22 months in barriques, 100% new, plus two new foudres. Deep garnet-purple in color, it slips slowly, sensuously out of the glass with beautiful black raspberries, kirsch, warm plums and red roses scents, building in intensity to reveal chocolate-covered cherries, raspberry coulis, black tea, woodsmoke and powdered cinnamon notions with a waft of black olives and charcuterie. Medium to full-bodied, the palate delivers a wonderfully profound, multilayered, seamless experience of red and black fruits intertwined with earth, spice and floral notions and framed by exquisitely ripe, satiny tannins, finishing with amazing freshness and length. Incredibly, finely, expertly, seamlessly knit. Stunning.