- CRITICAL REVIEWS
- WINEMAKER NOTES
Robert Parker Wine Advocate
Vinous
2014 Chateau Angelus, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru, France
This great vintage started with a tricky spring and a difficult summer, but we were fiercely resolved not to give up and to read the vines and understand their needs. Then from 25th August onwards, day after day of lovely weather came along and our confidence returned. We took risks and waited to start harvesting. Finally October arrived, golden, warm and magnificent, enabling us to delay picking the old Merlot vines for a few days and wait for the Cabernet Franc grapes to ripen fully. This vintage has a very pure, elegant nose. The attack is clear, and the wine progressively gets bigger, reaching a very sophisticated balance between the magnificent quality of the tannins, substance, tension and freshness. There is 50% Cabernet Franc in the blend, which elevates the elegance of the wine’s tannic structure and makes the finish complex and long.
Harvest: October 2nd to 22nd
Blend: 50 % Merlot, 50 % Cabernet Franc
Surface area
27 hectares (66 acres)
Location
South-facing slope of Saint-Emilion, on the famous “foot of the slope
Soils
Clay-limestone on the upper part; clay, sand and limestone
as the slope goes down
Density of plantation
6,500 to 8,500 vines per hectare depending on the soil characteristics
Grape composition
53% Merlot, 46% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot
Average age of the vines
38 years
Pruning
Mostly Double Guyot “Bordelaise”, adapted according to the age,
vigour and structure of each vine, carefully respecting the flow of the sap.
Winemaker and Œnologist
Hubert de Boüard de Laforest
Vinifications
in oak and stainless steel vats for the Merlot, in concrete vats for the Cabernet Franc
- A cold soak at 8°C for some vats, depending on the characteristics of the grapes,
for 4 days to one week
- Temperature of alcoholic fermentation
up to 28°C
- Post-fermentation maceration at 28 to 30°C, for 1 to 3 weeks
Barrel-filling
as the wine is run off the skins
Ageing
from 20 to 22 months
- in new fine grain French oak barrels with medium char for the Merlot and a part for
the Cabernet Franc;
- in 30hl foudres for some of the Cabernet Franc, selected for the especially subtle
character of its aromas