Tasting Notes and Scores
2011 was a fairly classical vintage, and after austere early years it's now becoming approachable, full of life, finesse and precision. You can begin to see in this wine how Angélus opens up with some bottle age. There are touches of rose petal alongside still-intense damson fruits, and the liquorice through the mid-palate is coming to the fore. There's good flesh to the tannins, and the elegance is clear without being too serious. Angélus is a wine that never forgets how to be generous. Drinking Window 2020 - 2042
Tasted by Jane Anson (at Decanter's Fine Wine Encounter 2018, Shanghai, 24 Nov 2018)
Part of Anson: Tasting Château Angélus wines back to 1996
Decanter
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.
95 points – jamessuckling.com, Jan 2014
James Suckling
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. Drink 2014-2029.
94 points – Robert Parker (Wine Advocate #212, April 2014)
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. Drink 2012-2032.
92-95 points – Robert Parker (Wine Advocate #200, April 2012)
Wine Advocate
The 2011 Angélus has a lovely bouquet with ample red fruit, fireside hearth/ash and a touch of Earl Grey. Fine definition and lift here. The palate is very well balanced with supple tannins, fine bead of acidity, quite sensual for the growing season with a judicious plushness and a sense of breeding on the finish. Superb. Tasted blind at the annual 10-Year-On tasting.
Neal Martin
From a vintage that is slowly coming around and drinking well, the 2011 Angelus offers a beautiful elegance and purity as well as the ripe, sexy style of the estate. Based on 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Franc brought up in new barrels, it's still ruby colored and offers ample blackcurrants, spice box, dried earth as well as medium to full body, beautiful balance, sweet tannins, and a great finish. A terrific wine from this estate, it will continue drinking nicely for another two decades or more.
Jeb Dunnuck
Forward, charming, polished and poised, with a core of sweet, ripe back cherries, licorice, espresso and earth, this supple textured wine is quite strong for the vintage. Tasted May 2014
Jeff Leve
Bordeaux Index
Quality 853 | Brand 978 | Economics 975 |
buzz brand, investment staple
Quality: Predicted life of 14 years, one of the longest drinking windows in its peer group for the 2011 vintage, which averages 11 years
Brand: Strong restaurant presence, featuring on 26 of the world's top wine lists, including Blue Hill at Stone Barns
Economics: Above its peer group average price of £101 for the 2011 vintage
Production: Higher production than its peer group average of 46,409 bottles
- www.wine-lister.com June 2017
Wine Lister
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. 9,585 cases made.
92 points – jamessuckling.com, March 2014
Wine Spectator
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.
91 points – Ian D'Agata (vinous.com, July 2014)
Antonio Galloni
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. Drink 2019-2028.
16/20 – Julia Harding (jancisrobinson.com)
Jancis Robinson
Knowledge
is EverythingWant To
get In TouchPlease contact the LiveTrade team today for more information or to book a demo.
Contact us