Chateau Angelus 2022

FALSTAFF: "Dunkles Rubingranat, opaker Kern, violette Reflexe, dezente Randaufhellung. Zarte süße Tabaknuancen, ein Hauch von Kräutern, zarte rotbeerige Nuancen, zartes Nugat, Orangenzesten sind unterlegt, einladendes Bukett. Saftig, elegant, reife Kirschen, zart Gewürznuancen, seidig und elegant, feine Extraktsüße, große Frische, kaum spürbare, fein polierte tragende Tannine, bereits heute sehr zugänglich, ein delikater Speisenbegleiter ausgestattet mit beträchtlicher Länge und großem Potenzial."

LISA PERROTTI-BROWN: "The 2022 Château Angélus is made up of 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Franc with a pH of 3.65. Deep garnet-purple colored, it prances out of the glass with flamboyant notes of red currant jelly, wild blueberries, cassis, and candied violets, followed by suggestions of jasmine tea, star anise, and crushed rocks. The full-bodied palate is impactful from first sip, yet slowly expands in the mouth, ultimately over-delivering on the nose's promise with layer upon layer of perfumed black and red fruits, supported by super fine-grained, silt-like tannins, finishing long and achingly shimmery."

THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER: "Deeply colored, the wine is all about its elegance in the texture. The fruits offer a level of purity and refinement that was not present in older vintages. Perfectly balanced, vibrant, long and intense, the wine is incredibly sensuous, velvety, and silky. The level of concentration remains, but the sensation here is now one of sensuality, balance, and sophistication. The silky, pure, red and black pit fruits with a cool touch of orange rind remain with you for close to 60 seconds. Fermentation at cooler temperatures and no sulfur during the fermentations helped maintain the wines elegance and purity. The wine blends 60% Merlot, and 40% Cabernet Franc, 14.5% ABV, 3.65 pH. Harvesting took place, September 6 - September 28. Drink from 2027-2060."

JAMES SUCKLING: "So many beautiful primary fruit aromas. Al dente. Peaches. Very floral. Aromatic. Full-bodied and extremely fine tannins with length and beauty that show incredible depth. Superb brightness and reality. Exciting. Cabernet franc freshness and dynamics come through now, even though the blend is 60% merlot and 40% cabernet franc."

JEB DUNNUCK: "Looking at the Grand Vin, the 2022 Château Angélus is based on 53% Merlot, 46% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Petit Verdot that will spend 22 months in new French oak, with a portion of the Cabernet Franc aged in foudre. This estate doesn't put a foot wrong, and this is clearly a profound Angélus with a deep purple, almost blue hue, extraordinary notes of cassis, blueberry liqueur, acacia flowers, and scorched earth, full-bodied richness, building tannins, and a dense, concentrated mid-palate, all of which is grounded by a vibrant sense of freshness and purity. While older vintages were more closed and backward on release, this has a certain accessibility given its balance and purity, and I suspect it will offer incredible pleasure right out of the gate. It will evolve for 40+ years as well."

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "This estate's shift in the direction of gentler extraction and more reductive, less overtly oaky élevage continues, and this extreme vintage only underlines that. Fermented at cool temperatures (20 to 23 degrees Celsius), and with an increasing proportion of the wine's Cabernet Franc component matured in large wooden foudres, the 2022 Angélus wafts from the glass with deep aromas of dark berries and cherries mingled with hints of iris, licorice and pencil lead. Full-bodied, deep and seamless, with a layered core of cool, vibrant fruit, powdery tannins and a long, saline finish, it's a brilliant young wine in the making. The 2022 is a blend of 53% Merlot, 46% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot."

WEINWISSER: "60 % Merlot, 40 % Cabernet Franc, 40 hl/ha, ph 3.65 – der ist wichtig bei 14.5 Vol.-%. Dicht verwobenes Bouquet, pure rote Kirschfrucht, frischer Johannisbeernektar, zarte Graphitnote und getrockneter Rosmarin. Am sublimen durchtrainierten Gaumen mit seidiger Textur, balancierter Rasse, herrlicher Extraktfülle, engmaschigem kakaoartigem Tanningerüst, dabei präzise und straff ausgerichtet. Im konzentrierten, langanhaltenden und reinen Finale rotbeerige Konturen, Wacholder, Estragon und erhabene Adstringenz. 2029 – 2055."

DECANTER: "An excellently constructed and impressive Angélus in 2022 with power, focus and detail. Aromatically expressive; a burst of black and blue fruits on the nose, gorgeous floral scents, liquorice, graphite, damson, juniper berries, dark chocolate, vanilla and cinnamon. Straight and sleek, almost sharp red and blue berries marry with a slate minerality edging the tannins that makes the texture quite firm and mouthcoating but so precise with a playful juiciness on the mid palate and overall appealing coolness. Lovely clarity and layering of flavour, some strictness coming from the Cabernet Franc at this point, but there’s such class, finesse and precision on show. One for the long haul and will reward cellaring. Unlike in 2020 which took three days to harvest Merlot, 2022 took them two weeks, finishing with Cabernet Franc at the beginning of October. No press wine in the grand vin."

VINUM: "Herrlich saftiges und mundfüllendes Tannin, spürbarer Extrakt, aber auch besondere Tiefe, würziger Ausklang auf Schokoladennoten; hervorragend einmal mehr, zeigt trotz der wuchtigen Art des Jahres auch erfreuliche Harmonie."

JANCIS ROBINSON: "Purple-black hue. Dense, dark and spicy. Beautifully textured, the tannins ripe and smooth. Plenty of lift and no exaggeration. Firm, long and crunchy on the finish. Substantial but measured. "