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Chateau d'Angludet

The origins of Chateau d'Angludet lie in the 12th century at least, when there was a manor house on the site, and in in its early years the estate was in the ownership of Chevalier Bernard d'Angludet, the origin of its modern name. The ownership of the estate in these early years, long before the arrival of viticulture, is surprisingly well documented. From d'Angludet it passed to the Donisan family, to the intriguingly named character of Rampnol de Corn, then to the Treulon and Makanan families. With the latter family, who owned the estate during the 16th century, it passed from Pierre de Makanan to Raymond and then the next generation, Geoffrey, before it was confiscated in 1631 during the religious wars that afflicted much of Europe at this time. Thus the estate eventually passed to Pierre du Mons, a wealthy parliamentarian, and by this time vineyards had been established. The wine seems to have been a success, as the relevant documents show that they were selling for a good price in the early years of the 18th century.

In 1776 the estate was acquired by Pierre Legas, who took the vineyard in hand, expanding and planting to develop a considerable domaine. His efforts resulted in a large production and no doubt a reputation of some sort. But unfortunately it does not seem as though his descendents were as interested in the estate as he was. Following his death in 1791, it was divided between his four sons, and then divided again with the next generation. The vineyards were neglected, and production petered off, gradually falling to one third of what it was under the patriarch Pierre. At its apogee, the authors of the time, such as Wilhelm Franck, refer to d'Angludet as a fourth growth, but with its deterioration over the years it slipped out of view of the relevant commentators, and when the 1855 classification was drawn up, it was nowhere to be seen. Chateau d'Angludet was forever relegated to the ranks of the Cru Bourgeois classification. Bad news for subsequent proprietors over the years perhaps, but good news for those who buy on taste and quality rather than labels or outmoded classifications.

The Legas descendents shared ownership of d'Angludet until it was sold off in two portions, the first smaller segment coming to Paul Promis, who duly expanded his vineyard and invested in the estate as a whole. The larger part came to Jules Jadouin, who subsequently purchased that part owned by Promis, thus resolving this temporary division. As the 19th century drew to a close, the Jadouin family resided on an estate that totalled 130 hectares, with 55 hectares of vines. Despite this early effort, however, d'Angludet was passed from one owner to the next rather like a hot potato. It first came to Jadouin's daughter, who married a local merchant Jules Lebègue, and thus it was passed to his son-in-law Maurice Addé, who saw the estate rank well in the new classification of Cru Bourgeois estates in 1932 (a defunct classification following the annulment of the 2003 version). It was then sold to an industrialist, Paul Six, then to Madame Rolland, proprietor of Chateau Coutet, who gifted it to Thomas, her son by a previous marriage. He did little of any effect, and the seemingly interminable decline of the estate continued. It was not until the purchase of the estate by Peter Sichel, who part owned Palmer and apparently stumbled across the near-ruin that was d'Angludet on an afternoon stroll in 1961, that its fortunes were reversed.

At that time the d'Angludet vineyard accounted for just 7 hectares of the Margaux appellation, on an estate that amounted to 80 hectares all told. Over the ensuing years Peter, followed by his son Benjamin who took charge in 1989, gradually rebuilt the vineyards. Today they cover 32 hectares, with a sandy-gravelly terroir, and are planted with 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot and 10% Petit Verdot at a density of 6666 vines/ha. Following the sale of a large segment of the vineyard named Notton to the Lurton family of Brane-Cantenac, the vines are now in one large sweep, situated on Le Grand Poujeau, a plateau where only three estates own vines, the other two being, perhaps significantly, classed growths du Tertre and Giscours. They are managed with minimal recourse to chemical treatments, a method Benjamin Sichel describes as measured prevention, planting grass between the rows to discourage weeds and to provide surface competition for the vines, and hard pruning to just eight bunches per plant to reduce yields. There is leaf thinning to encourage ripening. There is still room for improvement though; the fruit is harvested by machine, before fermentation in concrete vats with temperature control. It then goes into oak for up to twelve months, with just one third of the barrels replaced each vintage. It sees an egg white fining before bottling. The grand vin is Chateau d'Angludet (about 10000 cases per annum) and there is a second wine, La Ferme d'Angludet (about 2000 cases per annum), as well as Clairet d'Angludet made from a saignée after the wines have been in vat for just a few hours.

The wines of d'Angludet are not ones that tend to garner high praise, from some quarters at least. These are classically styled wines, not opulent or seductive, rather they are firm, only yielding with time, and eventually giving in some cases a mature, admirable, spicy style, in others remaining very rigid, muscular and hard. They are wines, however, that can give much pleasure to those who know what to expect, and who know their own preferences. They can be rounded, meaty and attractive with the right amount of age, in the right vintage. Having found this with a number of mature and maturing vintages, such as the 1982, the 1983, the 1988 and the 1989, I look forward to my case of the 1996 taking on a similar, full and pleasing character with time. Bottles tasted so far certainly suggest it has the potential. More recent vintages such as 2003 and 2004 have a close, if not exactly comparable, quality. These are good wines. (24/4/07)

Contact details:
Address: 33460 Cantenac
Telephone: +33 (0) 5 57 88 71 41
Fax +33 (0) 5 57 88 72 52
Internet: www.chateau-angludet.fr

Chateau d'Angludet - Tasting Notes

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Chateau d'Angludet (Margaux) 2009: Cabernet Sauvignon 50%, Merlot 38%, Petit Verdot 12%. A rather gamey nose here, with damson jam and sweet cassis, with a slightly high-toned edge. A softly styled palate, quite open, with a gentle suppleness of fruit. Then wham! - over the horizon of soft acids and plump fruit comes a wall of tannins which persists right through the finish. This will need two decades to come around. From my 2009 Bordeaux primeur assessment. 16-17+/20 (March 2010)

Chateau d'Angludet (Margaux) 2007: A surprising presence of deep and dark fruit on the nose here, with some oak alongside. The palate has a supple style, nice substance, rounded, and overall appropriate for the nice grip found beneath. Appealing, gently flattering, this is a good effort. From a tasting of 2007 Bordeaux at two years of age. 14.5+/20 (October 2009)

Chateau d'Angludet (Margaux) 2004: Deep, slightly meaty aroma, complex, with notes of slightly baked fruit. Elegant, perfumed, herby, with ripe, firm, grainy tannins. Firm acidic structure although a little baked character to the fruit here. Nice, traditionally structured style though. Good. From my assessment of Bordeaux 2004. 16+/20 (October 2006)

Chateau d'Angludet (Margaux) 2003: Nice, fresh, lifted black fruit on the nose, with perfume and gravelly, stony-mineral character. Pleasing texture; ripe, succulent, almost creamy edge, with supple tannins and correct acidity. Really pleasant, well managed extract. There is good drinking potential here. A success! From my assessment of Bordeaux 2003. 16.5/20 (October 2005)

Chateau d'Angludet (Margaux) 1996: Almost a year on since my last tasting note for this wine. A dark core, with a cherry pink rim, showing a little maturity. Quite withdrawn on the nose though, showing a little cedary fruit, not the primary fruit it previously displayed, although it does open out to give some notes of minerals stones and charcoal. Nicely textured, mid-weight, perhaps rather austere, leading to a bitter grip on the finish. Rather subdued, not quite ready to come out of its shell just yet, but the potential is there. From a Bordeaux 1996 tasting. 16.5+/20 (April 2007)

Chateau d'Angludet (Margaux) 1996: A very deep and richly coloured core, almost opaque in fact. There is a flourish of primary fruit on the nose at first, then smoky, coffee ground elements. Medium body, with plenty of structure showing. Ripe, grainy, pervasive tannin, and decent acidity, just a little subdued if anything. Grippy finish. A bit short, perhaps. Certainly no rush to drink up here though. This has a classic, old school, left bank style which needs more time in the cellar. 16.5+/20 (April 2006)

Chateau d'Angludet (Margaux) 1996: Another taste of this wine, within a week or two of my last bottle. A good depth of colour. Brought to the tasting by me, and probably not given enough air before tasting. Nevertheless it has a good fruit-driven nose, although still with a lick of toffee oak I didn't notice last time. A lovely palate - but I am very biased. It has fruit with violets and perfumed notes. Correct acidity. Here is a wine with potential. From a tasting with friends. 16.5/20 (June 2004)

Chateau d'Angludet (Margaux) 1996: A lovely colour, showing a little maturity, but still with depth and intensity. Delightful perfume, although it needs a couple of hours in the decanter to open out. Notes of violets, with a ripe, slightly tarry character, blackcurrant and black cherry fruit, with minerals. There follows a ripe, full and completely ready wine. It has structure and presence on the palate, although the tannins are fully integrated. Some richness through the midpalate, but a little elegance too. Classic Margaux. A case purchase which was a bargain at auction. 16.5/20 (June 2004)

Chateau d'Angludet (Margaux) 1989: A good colour. The nose has an elegant bouquet, although there is also a sooty note suggestive of tannins. With time the nose opens out, to develop considerable fragrance. This is a big and aggressive wine when it comes to the palate. Lots of tannin, supporting some rich, blackcurrant fruit. Low acidity. Finishes with a coating of tannin. Needs another three to five years at least. From a Bordeaux 1989 tasting. 17+/20 (May 2000)

Chateau d'Angludet (Margaux) 1988: A quite dense ruby red-purple hue. Nose is elegant with ripe, round fruit. The palate is medium bodied, with well balanced evident tannins and quite high acidity. Mature, slightly spicy fruit flavours dominate. Clean finish, nice length. From a Bordeaux 1988 tasting. 16.5/20 (May 2000)

Chateau d'Angludet (Margaux) 1983: Mahogany-red. A rich, earthy, slightly dusty nose, which immediately suggests d'Angludet. It later opens out to reveal fat, rich fruit with a touch of pencil lead. Lots of tannin on the palate, with slightly prominent acidity. Full bodied, with good fruit. This wine is lovely, and although it needs a little more time to come together completely it is drinking beautifully now. From a Bordeaux 1983 tasting. 17+/20 (November 2000)

Chateau d'Angludet (Margaux) 1982: A good depth of colour, showing maturity. A mature fruit nose, with violet perfume and a little bit meaty. It maintains a lot of structure on the palate on tasting, with a pile of tannin, although it still has firm body and fruit too. A little bit of texture even. This is showing much better than the bottle I had in May, and judging by this bottle it still has a long life ahead of it; drink over the next ten years as those tannins continue to fade. 17.5+/20 (August 2004)

Chateau d'Angludet (Margaux) 1982: A very dark tawny colour, with a deep red tinge. A lovely nose, typical of the commune, stony but also floral. Full, firm, and a touch of austerity here. Still quite a bit of tannin. Good fruit as well though. Seems a little angular and disjointed. Not a brilliant showing, but certainly quite drinkable. From a Bordeaux 1982 tasting. 16/20 (May 2004)