Château Angélus 2016, 2011, 2007, 2006, 2004, 2001 & Angélus Grand Vin Blanc 2020

The Jürade de Saint-Émilion du Singapour had the distinct honour of hosting the Jürade’s Commandeur, Monsieur Hubert Boüard de Laforest, to dinner at Imperial Treasure Great World, Singapore, on 20 May 2023 where, naturally, a vertical of Château Angélus would be lined up. Hubert had sent over his personal stash of the château’s brand new highly exclusive grand vin blanc, the Le Carillon as well as three vintages of its grand vin while we chipped in another three. Looking relatively youthful and relaxed and ever the consummate professional that he is, Hubert turned on his charm throughout the evening, regaling us with countless anecdotes about himself and the château, as well as how Angélus became linked with the James Bond franchise (featured in three films: the 1982 in Casino Royale, 2005 in both Spectre and No Time To Die). Hubert expressed a special affection for the Angélus of 1994, 2001 (which he feels is a better vintage for the Right Bank than Left) and 2007, whilst letting on as well that the reins are gradually being handed over to his daughter Stéphanie de Boüard-Rivoal, who has certain ideas about doing things to move the estate forward. Merci beaucoup Hubert for your time and generosity, and we look forward to seeing you again very soon at Château Angélus.

Champagne Benoît Déhu Cuvée de La Rue des Noyers, courtesy of Russ. Rather weighty and reductive on the nose, contrasting against the clean full palate of pears and apples that shone with sleek high-toned acidity, developing with greater expanse over time.

Champagne Henri Giraud Aÿ MV17 Grand Cru Brut, courtesy of Lawrence. Pale golden. Slightly reductive with an attractive elusiveness, leading to a cool lift of complex citrus that teased with dry intensity amid sultry sexy tones. very open and agile, structured with superb depth and clarity. Exudes lovely refinement and sophistication. Excellent.

2020 Angélus Grand Vin Blanc. Ex-château. A new initiative from Hubert’s daughter Stéphanie de Boüard-Rivoal, made from a tiny 1.2 ha comprising 50% chardonnay with equal parts of semillon and sauvignon blanc, aged in 50% new oak from Burgundian coopers. Pale. Gentle lift of vanillin oak amid some waxiness, leading to beautifully nuanced white tones of nutmeg and Asian spices infused with a full oily density, held together with sublime tension and cohesion. Very beautifully balanced with understated elegance, developing lovely complexity in the glass with a dominance of yellow fruit. This is its inaugural vintage, only 2000 bottles produced; even Hubert has only been allocated three bottles for his personal stash and we have actually popped those three this evening. At risk of blasphemy, I’d say this is as good as any true burgundy. What a privilege this has been. Outstanding!

2012 Le Carillon d’Angélus. Ex-château. Deep purple. Quite a heavy bouquet of raspberries and mulberries though the palate is only medium-weight, softly contoured and fleshy with pliant supple tannins. Very elegant, displaying youthful agility with lovely balance. Made from younger vines from differing plots within Angélus, gently extracted and vinified differently from the grand vin using 30% new oak.

2016 Château Angélus. Ex-château. Deep ruby, exuding a copious warmth of ripe raspberries, black fruits and currants that sparkle with rich graphite detail. Wonderfully tense with a cool ripeness, tightly coiled within supple understated tannins that slowly dissipated to yield excellent detail on a subtle minerally base. Modest finish. Highly promising.

2011 Château Angélus. Ex-château. Very deep garnet with a predominance of black fruits and currants. Well-extracted but softly structured. Considerably less layered and firm though there is still plenty of stuffing lurking beneath that obvious sheen of vanillin, displaying good integration with relaxed charm.

2007 Château Angélus. Ex-château. Deep crimson. This wine has developed very well in spite of its difficult vintage, proffering delicious red fruits, haw and currants whilst there is a certain refined velvetiness to its tannins, cushioning the fair abundance of fruit that now display early secondary characteristics. Good balance and sophistication. Little wonder that Hubert has professed a special affection for this wine.

2006 Château Angélus. A blend of 47% cabernet franc, 50% merlot and 3% cabernet sauvignon. Deep crimson. Delicious in blueberries, haw and red fruits that exude lovely lift. Suitably weighty. Slightly forward, still quite tightly coiled, exerting refined intensity with a cool tensile presence. Good finish, but it needs another decade of cellaring.

2004 Château Angélus, courtesy of Chancellor Melvin. Still rather dark and restrained though the open palate is wonderfully fresh and supple with an even presence of cool ripe fruit, structured with smooth velvety tannins that yield superb detail. Very well balanced, developing a gentle intensity with further notes of soy. This must qualify as one of the best wines of that classical vintage.

2001 Château Angélus, courtesy of Kieron. Purplish crimson. This under-rated wine opens with a savoury expanse of ripe fruit and currants well into their tertiary development, exuding lovely complexity with a dash of earthiness. Superbly integrated and wonderfully fresh, proffering excellent detail of soft gritty tannins that add further dimension to its lush succulence, finishing well with superb linearity. Outstanding. Hubert spoke of a personal preference for this vintage over the much-vaunted 2000. Enough said.