2021 Angelus
Buying options
Tasting notes
The 2021 Angélus is a standout wine of the vintage. The team has named 2021 “the unexpected” – a vintage that surprised everyone with its quality after the tricky growing season. For the first time ever, the wine is 60% Cabernet Franc (the 2002 and 2003 vintages come closest, each having over 50%). This blend, extensive sorting, gentle extraction and the estate’s trademark attention to detail has produced a vibrant and pure wine – with 13.5% natural alcohol. Vibrantly purple in the glass, the 2021 Ch. Angélus is a gorgeous wine – aromas of spice and vanilla complementing fresh cherry and raspberry. It’s a wine of stunning purity and elegance. The tannins provide a chalky grip, while the acidity is zesty – almost orange-edged, building to a long, mineral, saline finish. Unfortunately yields are down by 40% (at 23hl/ha) due to mildew. Blend: 60% Cabernet Franc, 40% Merlot
Critic scores
Average Score
William Kelley, Wine Advocate
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
More reviews and scores
Tasted blind. Interesting, haunting aroma. Sweet, curranty start and marked freshness, not to say astringency, on the palate. A bit stringy on the (long) finish. No transports of delight, alas. (JR)
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.
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.
About the producer
Ch. Angélus is one of Saint-Emilion's finest properties. Ch. Angélus is one of the few Saint-Emilion properties today that has remained under family ownership since its inception over 237 years ago.