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Tasting Notes
The 2022 from Ch. Angélus is another impressive wine – further evidencing the evolution at this superb Saint-Emilion address. Far from brash and bold, this is a wine that harnesses the generosity of the vintage – a wine of impressive and appealing restraint. Aromas of bramble fruit and cassis waft from the glass, framed by charming violet and wisteria notes. Ample fine-grained tannins surround and support high-density, exuberant fruit on the palate. Merlot (53%) brings ripe black raspberry and juicy red plum, while the Cabernet Franc (46%) lends a more austere, slightly crunchy red Bing cherry component, and additional depth from 1% Petit Verdot. A persistent current of electric acidity streaks through the core of the wine, supported by stony minerality and faint graphite, steering the wine’s long and mouth-watering finish.
Critic Scores
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William Kelley, Wine Advocate
James Suckling
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Looking at the Grand Vin, the 2022 Château Angélus is based on 53% Merlot, 46% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Petit Verdot that will spend 22 months in new French oak, with a portion of the Cabernet Franc aged in foudre. This estate doesn't put a foot wrong, and this is clearly a profound Angélus with a deep purple, almost blue hue, extraordinary notes of cassis, blueberry liqueur, acacia flowers, and scorched earth, full-bodied richness, building tannins, and a dense, concentrated mid-palate, all of which is grounded by a vibrant sense of freshness and purity. While older vintages were more closed and backward on release, this has a certain accessibility given its balance and purity, and I suspect it will offer incredible pleasure right out of the gate. It will evolve for 40+ years as well.
The 2022 Château Angélus is made up of 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Franc with a pH of 3.65. Deep garnet-purple colored, it prances out of the glass with flamboyant notes of red currant jelly, wild blueberries, cassis, and candied violets, followed by suggestions of jasmine tea, star anise, and crushed rocks. The full-bodied palate is impactful from first sip, yet slowly expands in the mouth, ultimately over-delivering on the nose's promise with layer upon layer of perfumed black and red fruits, supported by super fine-grained, silt-like tannins, finishing long and achingly shimmery.
This estate's shift in the direction of gentler extraction and more reductive, less overtly oaky élevage continues, and this extreme vintage only underlines that. Fermented at cool temperatures (20 to 23 degrees Celsius), and with an increasing proportion of the wine's Cabernet Franc component matured in large wooden foudres, the 2022 Angélus wafts from the glass with deep aromas of dark berries and cherries mingled with hints of iris, licorice and pencil lead. Full-bodied, deep and seamless, with a layered core of cool, vibrant fruit, powdery tannins and a long, saline finish, it's a brilliant young wine in the making. The 2022 is a blend of 53% Merlot, 46% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot.
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About the producer
Ch. Angélus is one of Saint-Emilion's finest properties. Ch. Angélus is one of the few Saint-Emilion properties today that has remained under family ownership since its inception over 237 years ago.