Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
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 color 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.
Barrel Sample: 92-95 Points -
Jeb Dunnuck
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.
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James Suckling
Very elegant Angelus with blueberry and chocolate character. Full to medium body, with fine tannins. Lovely and delicious. Reminds me of the 2001 but better. 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Franc.
Barrel Sample: 93-94 Points -
Wine Enthusiast
Very dry, firm and hard, this is heavily dominated by new wood. It's only the underlying weight that suggests the black fruit potential.
Barrel Sample: 92-94 Points -
Wine Spectator
The dark plum, raspberry and red currant fruit has a very sleek feel, lending a forward profile to the wine. Shows well-coiled grip underneath, with dark tobacco and briar hints echoing through the finish and emerging more with aeration. Should expand with cellaring. Best from 2016 through 2028.
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
Marked by its historic fortified village—perhaps the prettiest in all of Bordeaux, the St-Émilion appellation, along with its neighboring village of Pomerol, are leaders in quality on the Right Bank of Bordeaux. These Merlot-dominant red wines (complemented by various amounts of Cabernet Franc and/or Cabernet Sauvignon) remain some of the most admired and collected wines of the world.
St-Émilion has the longest history in wine production in Bordeaux—longer than the Left Bank—dating back to an 8th century monk named Saint Émilion who became a hermit in one of the many limestone caves scattered throughout the area.
Today St-Émilion is made up of hundreds of independent farmers dedicated to the same thing: growing Merlot and Cabernet Franc (and tiny amounts of Cabernet Sauvignon). While always roughly the same blend, the wines of St-Émilion vary considerably depending on the soil upon which they are grown—and the soils do vary considerably throughout the region.
The chateaux with the highest classification (Premier Grand Cru Classés) are on gravel-rich soils or steep, clay-limestone hillsides. There are only four given the highest rank, called Premier Grand Cru Classés A (Chateau Cheval Blanc, Ausone, Angélus, Pavie) and 14 are Premier Grand Cru Classés B. Much of the rest of the vineyards in the appellation are on flatter land where the soils are a mix of gravel, sand and alluvial matter.
Great wines from St-Émilion will be deep in color, and might have characteristics of blackberry liqueur, black raspberry, licorice, chocolate, grilled meat, earth or truffles. They will be bold, layered and lush.