An unprecedented year with an extremely large water deficit but also with temperatures which favoured ripening. The picking began on September 16th and finished on October 1st in exceptionally fine weather. The quality of the grapes was incredibly high both in terms of health and balance. The features of this vintage are its harmony, balance between power and freshness and its aromatic precision.
Ageing potential: up to 2030.
What the critics say...
Robert Parker: 98 points(01/04/2008)
This 7,000 case blend of 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Franc will rival or perhaps eclipse vintages such as 2000, 1998, 1990, and 1989. Its dense purple color is followed by an extraordinary perfume of charcoal, espresso roast, blackberries, blueberries, and a hint of wood. In spite of its thick texture, terrific acidity, high tannins, and enormous intensity as well as richness, it is surprisingly approachable, but given how slowly the 1989 and 1990 have aged, I would recommend cellaring it for 8-10 years. It should keep for three decades. A brilliant wine!
Pairing: Aged Cheese, Game Animals, Grilled Red Meats, Legume, Roasts, Stews.
The Angélus vineyard, which totals 23.4 hectares, is situated on the famous côtes of St Emilion with the clay and limestone typical terroir typical of the region. It is planted with 51% Merlot and 47% Cabernet Franc, with just 2% Cabernet Sauvignon bringing up the rear. The vines have an average... age of about 30 years, and are planted at a density of up to 7000 vines/ha. The vine canopies are handled so that leaf surface is maximised but grape bunches are not crowded, and the crop is managed with the aim of low yields without green harvesting if possible. A typical figure for Angélus is between 35 and 40 hl/ha. The fruit is picked by hand with an aggressive sorting in the vineyard, then destemmed at the chai, before going into the fermentation vessel which may be oak, steel or perhaps one of the concrete tanks, which were retained. There is a cold maceration of up to five days before fermentation gets started. Once complete, the wine undergoes malolactic and is then matured in oak for up to 22 months. The grand vin is Chateau Angélus of which there are about 10000 cases per annum, and the second wine is the aforementioned Carillon d'Angélus, of which there are about 1000 cases per annum.
Alcohol abuse can be dangerous.
