Angélus - Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 2014

Vinous

92

byNeal Martinthe4/2/2024

The 2014 Angélus has an attractive nose with dark berry fruit, chocolate, singed leather and quite pronounced Cabernet Franc scents that lend complexity. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins and a very silky texture. Not a powerful Angélus, this is instead refined with impressive mineralité towards the finish. Classy and sophisticated. Just one caveat: another bottle tasted blind, was less convincing, and felt a little attenuated towards the finish, hence my slightly more parsimonious score.

Vinous

96

byNeal Martinthe3/28/2018

The 2014 Angélus is now really beginning to blossom. It has an outstanding bouquet with plush but delineated black cherry and cassis fruit, crushed violet and just a hint of pencil lead. There is wonderful focus here. The palate is medium-bodied with tightly knit black fruit, graphite and spice. There is weight and presence, but it is effortlessly counterbalanced by the freshness and acidity, whilst the finish if extraordinarily long. Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting.

Wine Advocate

93

byNeal Martinthe3/31/2017

The 2014 Angelus has developed with some panache during its barrel maturation and now in bottle, it conveys attractive blackberry, briary and vanilla pod aromas, the oak neatly integrated. It is not the most powerful bouquet that Hubert de Boüard de Laforest has ever overseen, though it offers precision and focus. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, a crisp line of acidity, quite compact and linear in the mouth with a subtle oyster-shell note that tinctures the black fruit towards the persistent finish. It is no showstopper, yet there is craftsmanship and terroir-expression here and it should drink well for two decades.

Jamessuckling.com

96

byJames Sucklingthe2/16/2017

Wow. This is really decadent and fascinating with forest flowers, chocolate, tea and currants on the nose, which follows through to a firm and silky palate with lots of fruit and balance. Very long and beautiful. Citrusy undertones. Needs five or six years of bottle age to show it all.

Wine Spectator

95

byJames Molesworththe2/8/2017

This has a dense, muscular core of warm blackberry, black currant and fig paste flavors, shrouded under a cloak of tobacco and loam. Not shy on toast and balanced by a hefty ganache edge, this isn't heady at all, just a terrific expression of the muscular, loamy style. Best from 2026 through 2040. 8,335 cases made.

Vinous

94

byAntonio Gallonithe2/6/2017

The 2014 Angélus is a dark, powerful wine. Black cherry, violet, chocolate, leather, torrefaction and cloves are some of the many aromas and flavors that give the wine its dense, heavily extracted feel. There is no shortage of intensity today, but the real question is whether there will still be enough fruit once the tannins soften. That said, the 2014 opens up nicely with time, so I am cautiously optimistic.

Vinous

93-96

byAntonio Gallonithe5/11/2015

The 2014 Angélus, equal parts Merlot and Cabernet Franc, boasts superb depth and textural richness. Firm tannins give the 2014 its explosive energy and overall tension. Mocha, espresso, new leather, French oak and licorice gradually open up in the glass, but with some reluctance. The 2014 will need quite a bit of time to find its more finessed side, but its there.

The Wine Cellar Insider

94-95

byJeff Levethe5/5/2015

From a blend of 50% Merlot and 50% Cabernet Franc, this wine is deep ruby in color. Rich, sensuous and polished, the fruit is ripe and fresh, leaving you with silky tannins and a long sensation of sweet, sexy, dark chocolate covered blackberries and plums. 94-95 Pts

Wine Advocate

91-93

byNeal Martinthe4/30/2015

The Château Angelus 2014, a blend of 50% Cabernet Franc and 50% Merlot was picked between 2 and 22 October over a 3-week period. It has a surprisingly bashful nose at first, not one that comes racing out of the blocks to greet you. But there is plenty of fruit here, beautifully defined, a little more introverted than usual possibly due to the higher percentage of Cabernet Franc. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, linear in style with a saline note complementing that lattice of black fruit. It gently builds towards the spicy, slightly compact finish but never fully let’s go, the Cabernet Franc lending a slight savory edge on the aftertaste. This will probably need three of four years in bottle as this is slightly harder compared to recent vintages with more backbone. Yet it still constitutes an admirable Saint Emilion even if it does not ignite the same pyrotechnics as say, Pavie or Ausone.

Asian Palate

88-91

byJeannie Cho Lee MWthe4/20/2015

The flavors are quite restrained and on the palate the wine is shy in flavor. Hints of herbs, earth and blackberry. Tannins are mouth-puckering and quite dry. There is 50% Cabernet Franc in this blend with tannins that are a bit raw. This is a wine that will need time to integrate - right now it is a thick wall of tannins and tastes over-extracted.

Decanter.com

18,5

byJames Lawther MWthe4/17/2015

Hubert de Boüard's 30th vintage. 50% Merlot, 50% Cabernet Franc from 60-year-old vines. Fine, racy nose. Violet notes. Velvety texture. Ample tannins but precise, fine and long. Again real precision in this wine. Structured, seductive and long ageing. Drink: 2022-2040 (95)

Jancis Robinson

16,5

byJancis Robinsonthe4/13/2015

50% Merlot, 50% Cabernet Franc, picked 2-22 October. Very dark crimson. Not very expressive on the nose though there seems to be great density underneath. And then almost painful concentration. Verging towards Pavie, tar stew with lots of acidity. It may evolve into something lovely but for the moment it’s very hard work. Very dry end. Masses of effort has been put into this but it is not user-friendly at present.13.6%Drink 2025-2040(16.5+)  

Jamessuckling.com

93-94

byJames Sucklingthe4/10/2015

This is dense and compacted with pretty fruits, ultra fine tannins and a pure and intense finish. The excellent quality of the cabernet franc really shows here. Lightly salty with citrusy acidity. Chalky undertone. Half cabernet franc and half merlot. So about 10% more franc than normal.

timatkin.com

95

byTim Atkin MWthe4/7/2015

René Gabriel

18

byRené Gabrielthe4/1/2015

50 % Merlot, 50 % Cabernet Franc. Extrem dunkles Purpur-Lila. Im Ansatz ist das Bouquet ziemlich wuchtig, man spürt die reifen, noch leicht floralen Cabernet's. Wobei die Mehrzahl eigentlich falsch ist, denn im Blend sind ja nur die Franc's. Der Cabernet Sauvignon (3 % Pflanzungsanteil) wurde in den Carillon deklassiert. Das Nasenbild ist nobel, schön ausgelegt und deutet eine versprechende Tiefe an. Im Gaumen verlangend, die Tannine weisen leicht sehnige Muskeln auf, die Aromatik ist hier mit Cassis und schwarzen Kirschen bestückt, das Finale zeigt feine Rauchnoten und Lakritze. Der Rohbau ist sehr gut. Jetzt braucht es das Fett der Barrique um, ihm die nötige Ummantelung zu garantieren. Preislich gibt es da leider immer mehr Alternativen. Und das ärgert mittlerweile auch die eingefleischtesten Angélus-Fans. 18/20 2024 – 2048

Wine Enthusiast

97

byRoger Vossthe4/1/2015

96–98. Barrel Sample. This is a beautifully perfumed wine that shows style and elegance as well as rich, weighty blackberry fruit. The blend’s 50% Cabernet Franc gives tense, dark structure as well as aromatic character. It is a big wine, but with freshness and style.   — R.V.  (4/2/2015)

Wine Spectator

93-96

byJames Molesworththe3/30/2015

Features base notes of bittersweet ganache and smoldering tobacco, with dark plum, currant and fig fruit flavors. Despitethe charcoal thread, this is lush and integrated, showing no aggressive edges at all. The tobacco accent chimes in at theend for added effect.