1994 Château Angélus

I first met Monsieur Hubert Boüard de Laforest, owner of Château Angélus, at the turn of the new millennium at Carrefour, Singapore, (before it closed down) where he had very kindly autographed a couple of bottles of the 1994, a vintage special to me. When I met up with Hubert again a couple of weeks ago in Singapore, he still remembered the event and he even went on to say that he is especially fond of the 1994 (followed by the 2001 and 2007). Of course, most people are aware of the difficulties of the first few vintages of the Nineties, but these wines from so-called “off years” can still spring a surprise Indian Summer many years down the road. Aired in bottle two hours ahead of dinner at Saint-Pierre, Singapore, on 30 May 2023, the 1994 Château Angélus is still very deeply coloured, darkish purple at its core with just a bare tint of crimson. The bouquet is simply gorgeous, leaping out of the glass with a stunning complex of mature raspberries and black fruits underscored by some reductive pungency and brilliant graphite that teased with sexy lift, delivering its promise with a layered depth of delicious dark fruits on the medium-full palate. Still remarkably vibrant and seemingly half of its twenty-nine years, this wine kept evolving with emerging notes of mocha, cinnamon and rhubarb, boasting superb acidity and sophisticated tannins that exert smooth intensity and attack, maintaining its poised elegance and cool ripeness throughout before finishing in a lengthy spicy glow. Outstanding! One can truly understand Hubert’s special affection for it. Quantities of the 1994 must be really scarce by now. Catch it at its peak now if you’ve any, though it can easily keep for another decade.