2025 Angelus
Buying options
Tasting notes
The 2025 Angélus was picked from September 10 to 20 and Stéphanie de Bouard told me that they halved the pumpovers. The Cabernet Franc is aged half in foudres and half in new barrel, and the Merlot is half in new barrel and half in one-year-old barrels that were used for the 2023 vintage. The alcohol is 14.05% with a pH of 3.6, many grapes showing a gram or more malic acid. This note comes from a narrower Riedel glass that showed the wine in a better and more accurate light. The bouquet opens with blackberry, raspberry, light cassis scents and a touch of iodine, well defined, the oak seated politely in the background. The palate is silky smooth with filigree tannins, very well judged acidity plus palpable underlying sapid notes that come through towards the finish. Fine tension, very focused with a very persistent aftertaste, this is an Angélus with great potential and it should give 25 to 30 years' drinking pleasure.
Critic scores
Average Score
Neal Martin
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
More reviews and scores
Cassis, graphite, violets, iris, and a wonderful sense of minerality all define the 2025 Château Angélus, another ultra-classic Saint-Emilion from this address. It's a 50/50 blend of Cabernet Franc and Merlot, with the Merlot raised in 60% new oak and 40% once-used oak and the Cabernet Franc split between 50% new oak and 50% foudre. Checking in at 14% alcohol with a pH of 3.6, it's medium to full-bodied on the palate, with incredible purity, classy background oak, integrated acidity, and a great finish.
The 2025 Angélus (50% Cabernet Franc, 50% Merlot) is a superb contemporary Grand Vin. Aromatic, vibrant and wonderfully fresh, the 2025 dazzles from start to finish. Blood orange, mint, white pepper, rose petal and chalk weave through layers of vibrant red-toned fruit. Here, too, the Grand Vin impresses with its noble purity and understated grace. Élevage is 50% foudre /50% new oak for the Cabernet Franc, and 60% new oak/40% once-filled barrels for the Merlot. I can't wait to see how this ages.
A blend of equal parts Cabernet Franc and Merlot, the 2025 Angélus is already beautifully harmonious, even at this early stage. Unfurling in the glass with notes of sweet dark berries and plums mingled with notions of violets, licorice and spices, it's medium- to full-bodied, layered and multidimensional, with ripe tannins, lively acids and a long, perfumed finish. Much like its 2022 predecessor, the 2025 underlines that this estate's shift toward greater purity and subtler élevage choices can be sustained even in historically warm years.
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.