Three Vintages of Château Angélus, 2018
The ascendency of Château Angélus under the direction of Hubert de Boüard de Laforest has been nothing short of breathtaking. Standing outside the Tolkienesque edifice that is Château Angélus today, an ornately decorated edifice with a towering carillon, or indeed tasting its powerhouse wines which have done their bit in redefining the taste profile of Bordeaux, it is easy to forget that neither the estate nor its wines were in great shape thirty or forty years ago. Indeed, when Hubert assumed full control in 1985, some critics were happy to describe the estate as “moribund”.
In the three decades that have passed since Hubert (pictured above) took control he has supervised a bottom-up revitalisation of the estate, restructuring and replanting the vineyard, shifting towards a greater emphasis on Cabernet Franc, rebuilding and re-equipping the cellars, completely overhauling the approach to winemaking, and finally razing the old château to the ground and erecting it anew, in a style more reminiscent of the grand elf Elrond than the old monk Emilion. The work has been rewarded first with promotion from grand cru classé to premier grand cru classé B in the 1996 St Emilion classification, followed by promotion to what many thought was the unassailable premier grand cru classé A level in the 2012 revision.
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