Castle Angélus - Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 2011

Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar

91 / 100

byIan D'Agatathe8/31/2014

Bright ruby-purple color.  Sweet oak-spiced aromas of dark berries, mocha and cola, with a floral note gaining strength with air.  Supple and expansive on entry, then rising tannins give the mid-palate a serious brooding quality, but there's plenty of intense cassis and red cherry flavor to support the tannins.  Closes flinty and long, with a persistent chocolate quality.  I really like the way this powerful wine remains graceful and refined; I hope Hubert de Bouard tries scaling back on the extraction a little, because when he does wines like this one, they are real beauts.  A very good showing for 2011.            

Wine Advocate

94 / 100

byRobert Parkerthe5/2/2014

The 2011 Angelus is another winner from Hubert de Bouard. Supple and sexy with lots of blueberry and black raspberry fruit intermixed with licorice, barbecue smoke and camphor, this medium to full-bodied, supple-textured, sexy effort offers delicious drinking now, and promises to become even better over the next decade. It should keep for 15 or more years.

Jamessuckling.com

95 / 100

byJames Sucklingthe2/19/2014

This is a racy, elegant Angélus with super-silky, caressing tannins and a fabulous depth of fruit, including blackberries, chocolate and light espresso. Such length and beauty. It needs at least four of five years of bottle age. Try in 2019.

Wine Spectator

92 / 100

byJames Molesworththe2/11/2014

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.

La Revue du Vin de France

17-18 / 20

the5/31/2012

100% fûts neufs. Millésime le plus cabernet franc après 2002 (54%), à égalité avec 2003 (50%). Pour Hubert de Boüard, "ce sont les cabernets francs qui tirent le millésime vers le haut". Angélus offre une texture serrée, pas facile à déguster du fait de la forte prise de bois. Concentré, il ambitionne d'être l'un des plus résistants du millésime.

Le Point

16,5 / 20

byJacques Dupontthe5/17/2012

Nez épicé, bouche volumineuse et tendue, tanins serrés, feutrés, matière dense mais sans dureté, un peu austère à ce stade mais prometteur. O= 2018 G= 15 ans

Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar

91-94 / 100

byIan D'Agatathe5/12/2012

(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.

Decanter.com

18 / 20

the4/30/2012

Hallmark purple-black colour. Impressively concentrated for the vintage, offering dense, dark, vibrant fruit. Aromatically complex with cassis, spice, chocolate and orange zest notes. Full-bodied with a powerful tannic frame. Drink 2018-2035.

Wine Advocate

92-95 / 100

byRobert Parkerthe4/30/2012

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.

TAST

17,5-18 / 20

by Bettane & Desseauvethe4/30/2012

Rondeur charnue, fruit gourmand, d'une dimension évidemment plus limitée que les 2010 et 2009 de la propriété mais d'un volume séduisant, gourmand et croquant. Beaucoup de charme et d'éclat associés à une réelle profondeur.

Wein Wisser

18 / 20

byRené Gabrielthe4/30/2012

2022-2058

The Wine Cellar Insider

96-98 / 100

byJeff Levethe4/27/2012

From a blend of 55% Cabernet Franc and 45% Merlot, the wine goes through fermentation and maceration in thermoregulated wood vats and is aged in 100% new oak for about 20 months. Inky, dark and opaque with blue and purple accents in the color, this wine shows intense mineral, blackberry liqueur, blueberry, smoke, truffle and ripe, sweet essence of black cherry. Rich, concentrated, lush and mouth filling, the wine is graceful, elegant and balanced. This is a definite candidate for wine of the vintage. 96-98 Pts

Wine Advocate

90-92 / 100

byNeal Martinthe4/27/2012

The 2011 is a blend of 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Franc. There is a lot of maceration evident on the dense, broody bouquet with scents of blackberry and mulberry. It is missing the sheer exuberance of the previous two vintages and comes across as a little sullen by comparison. The palate is smooth and harmonious on the entry with tightly knit tannins and well-integrated oak. There is admirable focus here and the finish is strong, almost sinewy. The persistency is impressive, although it will hopefully develop more finesse by the time of bottling. Tasted twice with consistent notes. Tasted April 2012.

Jancis Robinson

16 / 20

byJulia Harding MWthe4/24/2012

Drink 2019-2028
Deep cherry crimson, black core. Very toasty, oaky on the nose. Oak overrules the fruit. Dense but dry and just so aggressive with the wood. Wait for it to die back. (JH)

Asian Palate

92-94 / 100

byJeannie Cho Lee MWthe4/20/2012

Congratulations to Hubert de Bouard who did an exceptional job this year with Angelus. This is a supple, voluptuous and seductive wine with a nice concentration of blackberry and spice flavours. The wine has great complexity with well handled tannins and a fairly long length. The tannins are dense and firm but ripe and velvety at the same time.

Wine Spectator

91-94 / 100

byJames Molesworththe4/10/2012

Polished and direct, with warm raspberry coulis, blueberry preserves and plum flavors pumping along, while a pain d'épices note fills out the finish. There's a loamy echo on the finish that adds depth and length, so this should be putting on weight.—J.M.

Wine Enthusiast

92-94 / 100

byRoger Vossthe4/6/2012

Very dry, firm and hard, this is heavily dominated by new wood. It's only the underlying weight that suggests the black fruit potential. —R.V

Jamessuckling.com

93-94 / 100

byJames Sucklingthe4/1/2012

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.