2021 Château Angélus

This is so delicious, with lovely focused cherries, flowers, dried sandalwood and some Indian spices. Medium-bodied with fine tannins and just a touch of wood to the pure fruit and a subtle and refined finish. 40% merlot and 60% cabernet franc, the most cab franc in a long time. (07/2024)

The 2021 Château Angélus is based on 60% Cabernet Franc and 40% Merlot brought up all in new oak, with 50% of the Cabernet Franc in foudre. It has a gorgeous perfume of black raspberries, wildflowers, darker cherries, graphite, and lead pencil that evolves beautifully with time in the glass. Medium-bodied, elegant, and all about finesse and refinement, it has perfectly integrated oak, ultra-fine tannins, and outstanding length. The harvest here spanned from September 17 to October 2, and it hit 13.5% alcohol and 3.65 pH. (04/2024)

A blend of 60% Cabernet Franc and 40% Merlot, the 2021 Angelus has a medium to deep garnet-purple color. It needs a little swirling to coax out notes of wild blueberries, Bing cherries, fresh blackberries, and lilacs, leading to an undercurrent of cedar and lavender. The medium-bodied palate is tightly knit with beautiful tension defining the red berry and floral layers, complemented by a fine-grained texture, finishing long and fragrant. Wonderfully graceful! (04/2024)

The 2021 Angélus unwinds in the glass to reveal aromas of dark berries, plums and cherries mingled with rose petals, forest floor, spices and pencil shavings, framed by creamy new oak. Medium to full-bodied, layered and vibrant, it's taut and structured, with a deep core of fruit, chalky tannins and a long, perfumed, vanillin-inflected finish. As readers will remember, it's a blend of fully 60% Cabernet Franc with 40% Merlot, incorporating foudres in addition to 225-liter barriques, and the rich, toasty oak signature of yesteryear is now firmly in the background, even if the wine still carries a youthful patina. The 2021's classically balanced profile will reward a bit of bottle age.

-William Kelley (02/2024)