1 dozen bottles per lot
Details
CHÂTEAU ANGÉLUS
Vineyard workers on an ancient plot of land could hear the "angélus" from three village churches, thus giving name to the future site of this great château. The particularly blessed piece of land, at least in terms of exposure, benefits from long sunlight hours with a southerly aspect. These extended hours are especially helpful to the Cabernet Franc grown at the bottom of the slope which requires the extra warmth to fully ripen. The sandy soil at the slope's end also provides warmth while the Merlot is grown on limestone-rich clay towards the top of the slope. The vineyards are planted with a healthy 47 Cabernet Franc, 51 Merlot and 2 Cabernet Sauvignon on a 26 hectare block.
The average vine density of the vines is 30 years, with a density of 6,500 to 7,000 vines per hectare which contributes to the concentration of the wines. All the grapes are hand harvested by 15 pickers followed by careful sorting to ensure only the best fruit is selected for the total 110,000 bottles produced.
Several generations of the de Bouard de Laforest family provide accumulated knowledge of the vines on this plot, but it was not until the 1980's that Angélus began to produce the rich, concentrated and complex wines that demand high prices now. In the early '80's, consultant Michel Rolland revitalized the winemaking practices of the Château. He insisted on 100 percent oak ageing and today the wines are aged in new oak for 18 months. The malolactic fermentation takes place in barrel - an incredibly expensive process - matched by few others including Le Pin. Fermentation in the barrel adds complexity and intensity to the wines.
These efforts to transform the chbteau paid off well, as Angélus joined the ranks of ten other châteaux in being proclaimed "Premier grand cru classé B" in 1996. Only two châteaux: Ausone and Cheval Blanc exceed this ranking with an "A" ranking.
Château Angélus--Vintage 1989
Saint-Emilion, grand cru classé
In original wooden case
"This château has been turning out such spectacular wines that it is not surprising it was elevated in the recent reclassification of St.-Emilion. Any Bordeaux lover would be thrilled to have either of the 1989 or 1990 in his or her cellar. Both wines reveal an opaque purple color, with the 1990 slightly more inky. Both wines are also exceptionally endowed, backward, rich, full-bodied, and crammed with fruit. The 1990 is softer than the 1989 (because of the vintage's greater ripeness), as well as lower in acidity, giving it a marginally more forward and flattering set of aromatics and flavors. However, the impression is one of a big, beefy, thick, super-rich wine offering that tell-tale L'Angélus nose of smoky vanillin oak, olives, jammy cassis, and spice. Picking a favorite between these two fabulous examples of their respective vintages is - for me - presently impossible. I will probably end up drinking the 1990 before the 1989, but both wines are 25-30-year wines, with the 1989 possibly reaching full maturity in 5-6 years, and the 1990 needing several more years of cellaring." Robert Parker, Wine Advocate #109 (Feb 1997)
1 dozen bottles per lot
Vineyard workers on an ancient plot of land could hear the "angélus" from three village churches, thus giving name to the future site of this great château. The particularly blessed piece of land, at least in terms of exposure, benefits from long sunlight hours with a southerly aspect. These extended hours are especially helpful to the Cabernet Franc grown at the bottom of the slope which requires the extra warmth to fully ripen. The sandy soil at the slope's end also provides warmth while the Merlot is grown on limestone-rich clay towards the top of the slope. The vineyards are planted with a healthy 47 Cabernet Franc, 51 Merlot and 2 Cabernet Sauvignon on a 26 hectare block.
The average vine density of the vines is 30 years, with a density of 6,500 to 7,000 vines per hectare which contributes to the concentration of the wines. All the grapes are hand harvested by 15 pickers followed by careful sorting to ensure only the best fruit is selected for the total 110,000 bottles produced.
Several generations of the de Bouard de Laforest family provide accumulated knowledge of the vines on this plot, but it was not until the 1980's that Angélus began to produce the rich, concentrated and complex wines that demand high prices now. In the early '80's, consultant Michel Rolland revitalized the winemaking practices of the Château. He insisted on 100 percent oak ageing and today the wines are aged in new oak for 18 months. The malolactic fermentation takes place in barrel - an incredibly expensive process - matched by few others including Le Pin. Fermentation in the barrel adds complexity and intensity to the wines.
These efforts to transform the chbteau paid off well, as Angélus joined the ranks of ten other châteaux in being proclaimed "Premier grand cru classé B" in 1996. Only two châteaux: Ausone and Cheval Blanc exceed this ranking with an "A" ranking.
Château Angélus--Vintage 1989
Saint-Emilion, grand cru classé
In original wooden case
"This château has been turning out such spectacular wines that it is not surprising it was elevated in the recent reclassification of St.-Emilion. Any Bordeaux lover would be thrilled to have either of the 1989 or 1990 in his or her cellar. Both wines reveal an opaque purple color, with the 1990 slightly more inky. Both wines are also exceptionally endowed, backward, rich, full-bodied, and crammed with fruit. The 1990 is softer than the 1989 (because of the vintage's greater ripeness), as well as lower in acidity, giving it a marginally more forward and flattering set of aromatics and flavors. However, the impression is one of a big, beefy, thick, super-rich wine offering that tell-tale L'Angélus nose of smoky vanillin oak, olives, jammy cassis, and spice. Picking a favorite between these two fabulous examples of their respective vintages is - for me - presently impossible. I will probably end up drinking the 1990 before the 1989, but both wines are 25-30-year wines, with the 1989 possibly reaching full maturity in 5-6 years, and the 1990 needing several more years of cellaring." Robert Parker, Wine Advocate #109 (Feb 1997)
1 dozen bottles per lot