2011 Château Angélus, St Emilion, Bordeaux

2011 Château Angélus, St Emilion, Bordeaux

Product: 20118004341
Prices start from £1,410.00 per case Buying options
2011 Château Angélus, St Emilion, Bordeaux

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Available by the case In Bond. Pricing excludes duty and VAT, which must be paid separately before delivery. Storage charges apply.
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6 x 75cl bottle
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Description

Hubert de Bouard has once again proved himself to be the master of challenging vintage conditions with a sumptuously attractive wine from Angélus. This vineyard benefits from a fairly high percentage of Cabernet Franc and this year this variety has brought a beguiling freshness and lift to the blend, perfectly counter-balancing the lush texture of the ripe Merlot. There is an exceptional depth of fruit, a satin texture on the palate and exceptionally well-managed tannins. The oak is quite prominent at this stage but such is the concentration of fruit that I have no doubt it will easily absorb the wood in a few months' time. A real success for the vintage.

Berry Bros. & Rudd

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Critics reviews

Neal Martin, Vinous94/100

The 2011 Angélus has a lovely bouquet with ample red fruit, fireside hearth/ash and a touch of Earl Grey. Fine definition and lift here. The palate is very well balanced with supple tannins, fine bead of acidity, quite sensual for the growing season with a judicious plushness and a sense of breeding on the finish. Superb. Tasted blind at the annual 10-Year-On tasting.

Drink 2022 - 2035

Neal Martin, Vinous.com (April 2022)

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Ian D'Agata, Vinous92+/100

A 60/40 blend of Merlot and Cabernet Franc.

Opaque ruby-purple. Deep, brooding aromas of cassis, blackberry syrup, coffee and cocoa. Then very rich, dense and unctuous, with blackberry syrup, blueberry liqueur, vanilla and chocolate-covered plum flavors of uncommon depth and purity. The smooth, velvety texture coats the palate while avoiding the bitterness and tannic unpleasantness of many other 2011s. Very long and serious wine, perhaps better balanced than the 2009 and 2010 vintages. As impressive as those wines might be, I think they were too extracted.

Ian D'Agata, Vinous.com (May 2012)

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Jane Anson95/100

Fine tannins, this is elegant and finessed, with cool blueberry and raspberry fruits, touches of orange peel, rose petal and slate. Well balanced, precise and well crafted, with a shot of espresso and cocoa bean on the finish. This is just beginning to be ready to drink if given a good few hours in a carafe.

Drink 2021 - 2042

Jane Anson, Decanter.com (November 2021)

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Jancis Robinson MW17/20

Tasted blind. Deep, glowing crimson with a little evolution at the rim. Rich, ripe, ambitious and appealing nose. Good tannin management compared with B [Ch Pavie]. Lots of ripe Merlot fruit with a seasoning of Cabernet Franc and, although there is still some fine tannin, the fruit is still there and seems set to outlast the tannin. Not classic, but a good example of the modern style. Ch Angélus?

Drink 2020 - 2032

Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com (June 2022)

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Wine Advocate92-95/100

A great success for proprietor Hubert de Bouard, the 2011 Angelus came in at 14.5% natural alcohol (keep in mind that this is supposedly a challenging vintage – and it was), and 75% of the production made it into the top label. The remainder was declassified into a second label or was sold off in bulk. Yields were a low 30 hectoliters per hectare, and the final blend was 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Franc. 

The colour is a typical dense blue/purple, and the nose offers up wonderful notes of black raspberries, blueberries, flowers, vanillin and spice box. With authority, velvety tannin, good extract and glycerin, this rich, pure, beautifully textured St.-Emilion should drink well for 20+ years.

Drink 2012 - 2032

Robert M. Parker, Jr., Wine Advocate (April 2012)

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James Suckling94/100

Intense nose of redcurrant and bramble jelly. Gains a lot of herbal and earthy complexity with some aeration. Very satisfying balance of full, powdery tannins and restrained richness. Quite sweet entry, but this turns decisively dry at the long, straight and elegant finish. Hint of warmth from alcohol, but this is part of the style. 

Drink or hold

James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com (June 2022)

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Jeb Dunnuck94/100

From a vintage that is slowly coming around and drinking well, the 2011 Angelus offers a beautiful elegance and purity as well as the ripe, sexy style of the estate. Based on 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Franc brought up in new barrels, it's still ruby colored and offers ample blackcurrants, spice box, dried earth as well as medium to full body, beautiful balance, sweet tannins, and a great finish. A terrific wine from this estate, it will continue drinking nicely for another two decades or more.

Drink 2019 - 2039

Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com (June 2019)

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About this WINE

Château Angélus

Château Angélus

Château Angélus is one of the largest and most prestigious estates in St Emilion. It was promoted to Premier Grand Cru Classé A status in the 2012 reclassification. The de Boüard family has made wine here since 1782. The estate is now run by eighth-generation Stéphanie de Boüard-Rivoal, who took over from her father, Hubert de Boüard de Laforest, and uncle, Jean-Bernard Grenié, in 2012. It is located in centre-west of the St Emilion appellation, due west of the medieval town.

Angélus’s 39 hectares of vineyards are situated less than a kilometre away from the famous St Emilion steeple. The site enjoys a perfect southerly-exposed slope. Cabernet Franc is grown at the bottom, where the soils are sandier and warmer; Merlot is grown in the limestone-rich clay soils at the top of the slope.

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St Émilion

St Émilion

St Émilion is one of Bordeaux's largest producing appellations, producing more wine than Listrac, Moulis, St Estèphe, Pauillac, St Julien and Margaux put together. St Emilion has been producing wine for longer than the Médoc but its lack of accessibility to Bordeaux's port and market-restricted exports to mainland Europe meant the region initially did not enjoy the commercial success that funded the great châteaux of the Left Bank. 

St Émilion itself is the prettiest of Bordeaux's wine towns, perched on top of the steep limestone slopes upon which many of the region's finest vineyards are situated. However, more than half of the appellation's vineyards lie on the plain between the town and the Dordogne River on sandy, alluvial soils with a sprinkling of gravel. 

Further diversity is added by a small, complex gravel bed to the north-east of the region on the border with Pomerol.  Atypically for St Émilion, this allows Cabernet Franc and, to a lesser extent, Cabernet Sauvignon to prosper and defines the personality of the great wines such as Ch. Cheval Blanc.  

In the early 1990s there was an explosion of experimentation and evolution, leading to the rise of the garagistes, producers of deeply-concentrated wines made in very small quantities and offered at high prices.  The appellation is also surrounded by four satellite appellations, Montagne, Lussac, Puisseguin and St. Georges, which enjoy a family similarity but not the complexity of the best wines.

St Émilion was first officially classified in 1954, and is the most meritocratic classification system in Bordeaux, as it is regularly amended. The most recent revision of the classification was in 2012

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Merlot/Cabernet Franc

Merlot/Cabernet Franc

Merlot and Cabernet Franc are grape varieties commonly used in Bordeaux-style blends, particularly in the Bordeaux region of France. When these two grapes are blended, they can create a wine that combines the best characteristics of each variety.

Merlot is known for its smoothness, soft tannins, and ripe fruit flavours. It often contributes black cherry, plum, and chocolate flavours to the blend. The grapes are relatively easy to grow and ripen earlier than other Bordeaux varieties, making them versatile for blending.

Cabernet Franc, on the other hand, adds structure, depth, and complexity to the blend. It typically brings aromas of red fruits such as raspberry and strawberry, along with herbal notes like bell pepper and tobacco. These grapes have thinner skins and can be more challenging to cultivate, requiring specific growing conditions to reach their full potential.

When Merlot and Cabernet Franc are combined, the result is a well-balanced wine with various flavours and aromas. The blend often exhibits a Bordeaux wine's medium to full body, along with a smooth texture and moderate tannins. The specific flavour profile can vary depending on the proportions of each grape in the blend and the terroir and winemaking techniques employed.

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