Less than a mile from the famous bell tower at Saint Emilion on its renowned south facing “pied de côte” (foot of the hill) site, Château Angélus is the story of four generations of the Boüard de la Forest family.  The estate's name derives from an ancient vineyard, from which the men tending the vines could hear the angélus ringing out from all three of the town's churches: the Chapelle de Mazerat, the Church of Saint Martin de Mazerat and the Church of Saint Emilion.

At the turn of the century, Maurice de Boüard de la Forest acquired the then three-hectare plot (about seven and half acres), adding it to the adjacent vineyard, Château Mazerat, which had been in the family since 1850.  Sons Jacques and Christian expanded the holding by buying adjoining plots of land, until by the 1970s, they had completed the property run today by Hubert de Boüard de la Forest and his cousin Jean-Bernard Grenié.

Hubert de Boüard de la Forest  at a tasting of his Château Angélus wines

The promotion was the result of hard work from both de la Forest and Grenié. They introduced the philosophy of picking riper grapes, advocated by Emile Peynaud, the grandfather of modern French winemaking, who also taught de la Forest personally. Regrettably, Peynaud passed away this year, but his influence lives on today. Many winemakers, wine lovers and critics praise his approach and impact to winemaking, from Robert Parker to Hugh Johnson. 

But beyond picking riper grapes, the owners also declassified grapes from lesser plots to make a second wine – something many châteaux do in Bordeaux – and have concentrated all the best plots for their Château Angélus blend, which includes a high proportion of Cabernet Franc, a grape that lends a mentholated freshness to their wine.  The owners also keep up with technology while respecting traditional methods, so that each harvest and each vintage achieves as much as possible.

Recently in Bordeaux and then on Nantucket Island – during the 8th Annual Nantucket Wine Festival in May – I was able to taste the wine in both vertical and horizontal tastings. In wine lingo, a vertical means that one tastes several different years – usually contiguous – of the same wine, in this case Angélus. A horizontal means the opposite: tasting different wines, but from the same year. 

While in Bordeaux during the  primeur tasting of the latest 2003 Bordeaux vintage – the vintage is tasted roughly six months after the harvest, after having had some time in the barrel – I was impressed by the quality of Angélus in a vintage that was not most favorable to Merlot. It stood out among many of its peers in the horizontal tasting in late March. 

Two months later on Nantucket, I hosted the vertical tasting for wine festival participants. The eight wines tasted, spanning 12 years, illustrated the consistent quality one obtains from this château and is explanation enough for its recent promotion. As follows, my brief tasting notes: 

2001:  Very young and tight – which is expected from a wine that was bottled less than a year ago. A very good if not great year. But put the bottle away, and wait for it to open up in about five years.

2000:  All I could say was “Wow.” A very full-bodied and balanced wine, though still very young with hints of tannin that will melt over time. A great vintage overall in Bordeaux, and very successful for this château. Prices reflect this success, with this bottle fetching about $225 on today's market.

1998:  Almost as good as the 2000, though more compact. Does not have the enormous aromatic qualities of the 2000 but still very good. 

1996:  Leaner than either the 1998 or the 2000, more similar to the 2001, but properly aged with a very smooth Cabernet Franc freshness to it that is appealing. Very well done.

1995:  This wine was tasting no less than heavenly and upstaged all of the wines of the tasting, with the exception of the 1989. Full-bodied, yet nuanced, the wine's tannin has melted and the result is a balanced flavor that one will also obtain from the more recent vintages. 

1994:  Not the favorite among some of the wine tasters at the festival, I really enjoyed this wine for its mineral qualities and smoothness. It is certainly not as full-bodied as, say, the 1995 or the 2000, but offers fine taste.

1990: A great year in Bordeaux and a great wine. I thought it was tasting a tad stolidly at this stage, although it was lovely in aromas and flavor. When tasting wine, one must always remember that each vintage ages differently. The 1990 – a great vintage in Bordeaux – was among the very best of this vertical tasting, but will improve with time. 

1989:  This wine got my nod for best of the bunch along with the 1995. It was full-bodied, mature, elegant and packed with flavor. 

The next time you go to Bordeaux, don't miss Saint Emilion and Château Angélus.  A look at the well-done web site will give you more information about this exceptional château, which always welcomes visitors.  You just need to call ahead.  And,  if you ever make it to Nantucket Island in May, check out the wine festival which features hundreds of wines from all over the world – in a wonderful setting! 

Visit these web sites for more on Château Angélus wines and the recent tastings:  http://www.angelus.com and
http://www.nantucketwinefestival.com.

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