Wednesday Wine Tasting 11/20

Wine Tasting November 20: Château Angelus

Come join us for a fabulous afternoon of wine tasting at The San Francisco Wine Trading Company! Whether you're a wine connoisseur or just looking to have a good time, this event is perfect for you. Sample a variety of exquisite wines and mingle with fellow wine enthusiasts. Don't miss out on this fantastic opportunity to expand your palate and enjoy some delicious wines. See you there!

Chateau Angelus is one of the top estates in all of Bordeaux making primarily merlot based wines in the heralded appellation of Saint-Emilion. The estate has been owned by the Boüard de Laforest family since 1910 and is named after the Angelus bells that can be heard chiming through the vineyards from a chapel in Mazerat. While each vintage is different, the excellence of the terroir and craftsmanship comes through year after year. These wines are legendary and this is an incredible chance to try them!

2019 Angelus – The 2019 vintage was exceptionally good in Saint-Emilion. Producing great wines all throughout the region. With that, Angelus produced potentially the best wine in the whole region. The blend is 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Franc with harvest happening from mid-September to early October. This wine is elegance in a glass. With black fruits and cherry flavors bursting forth and an incredibly supple and smooth palate.This wine is very generous even now in its youth but will be able to be drunk for years to come.

98 points, Decanter: “Beautifully expressive nose, really so welcoming with hints of sweet red cherries, raspberries, milk chocolate and touches of perfume too - soft but really defined. On the palate there is such charming grip from the tannins and flavour that just takes hold straight away but not in an overly dominating way. It's smooth but precise, driven from start to finish. Softly chewy tannins coat the tongue with black fruit and some creaminess alongside excellent acidity that gives a mouthwateringly fresh and cooling aspect underneath the ripe red and black fruit flavours. This has real life and energy, bright with clear complexity and layers of fruit, oak and terroir that comes across as a spicy but also wet stone, mineral undertone. Seriously good. You almost want to drink this now and just capture all the elements going on but they'll continue to soften and integrate over time and also let the beautiful Cabernet Franc elements integrate and come more into play over time.”
98 points, James Suckling: “Redcurrants, sweet tobacco and flowers with some sandalwood. Very perfumed and floral. So pure. Full-bodied, yet so refined and layered, with a soft, compact palate and a crushed-velvet mouth-feel. Poised fruit at the end, together with fresh, rare wood and a light chocolate undertone to the aftertaste. This is open, yet there’s so much in reserve.”
98 points, Jeb Dunnuck: “…the 2019 Château Angélus is knockout stuff, and while I'm not sure it matches the perfect 2018, it's not far off. Gorgeous notes of redcurrants, blueberries, sandalwood, dried flowers, vanilla, and forest floor are just some of its nuances, and it hits the palate with medium to full body, a perfectly balanced, seamless mouthfeel, beautifully ripe tannins, and a great, great finish.”
98 points, The Wine Cellar Insider: “Intellectual hedonism is the name of the game here. Opaque ruby in color, the first thing you notice is all the just picked, spring flowers before moving on to all the smoke, fennel, espresso, black and red fruits and earthy nuances. Concentrated layers of velvety fruits are all over the place here with their continuous display of red and black fruits. The finish, with its cashmere tannins and vibrancy sticks with you for over 50 seconds. This stunning wine is going to age and evolve for decades and will be seen as one of the top vintages of Chateau Angelus.”
98 points, The Wine Independent: “It prances out with showy notes of candied violets, star anise, and Sichuan pepper, leading to a core of juicy black plums and boysenberry preserves, plus wafts of iron ore and cedar. Full-bodied, rich, and seductive, the palate delivers loads of earthy layers and impressive restraint, supported by fine-grained tannins and finishing fragrant.”
2010 Angelus – A classic Bordeaux vintage which made for opulently rich wines that are precise with deep dark fruit. There is more Cabernet Franc in this than the 2019, where Merlot is 55% of the blend and Cabernet Franc makes up the other 45%. A lush wine with elegant freshness, deep dark fruit, with leather and subtle tannins. Keep this wine for years and years to come.

99+ points, Robert Parker: “This is another magnificent wine…Subtle barbecue smoke, graphite, blackberry liqueur, licorice and chocolate jump from the glass, and the wine hits the palate with a thunderous cascade of sweet, velvety, full-bodied, concentrated black fruits, nice definition from the tannins and decent acidity. The wine has a majestic, multilayered finish that goes on for a minute. This magnificent wine is still frightfully young and still somewhat unformed, but every bit as prodigious as its older sibling, the 2009. This will probably end up evolving on a slightly slower evolutionary track. However, it has 50 years of longevity in it.”
99 points, Decanter: “Highlighting the serious side of Angélus, at 10 years old you get to fully appreciate the tension, energy and purity that is such a signature of this vintage, and that is just jumping out of the glass. Olive paste, clove and cinnamon sit alongside powerful blackberry fruits. The alcohol comes through in the velvety texture, but there is not a trace of heat. No question about the confident tannins on the other hand, giving a path forward for a wine that just seems to keep on expanding in the mouth, finishing with pulses of salinity. (Drink between 2023-2050)”
99 points, James Suckling: “The nose is impressively rich with an opulence and sexiness with earth, berry, spice and chocolate character. Black truffles! Full body, with seamless tannins and beautiful richness. It goes on for minutes. The layers of fruit and ripe tannins are phenomenal. This is the greatest Angelus ever for me.”
99 points, The Wine Cellar Insider: “This just keeps on getting better and better. Over the years my score has been rising and it's easy to see why. Combining power, elegance, sensuous textures, mouth filling depth and cashmere tannins, this hits all the right pleasure buttons. The texture is surreal. It's interesting to note that while the wine reached 15.6% ABV, there is no touch of heat. When this wine hits its stride, I expect the wine could receive 100 Pts!”
99 points, The Wine Independent: “It erupts from the glass with notes of black cherry preserves, molten chocolate, licorice, and plum pudding, giving way to hints of cedar chest, camphor, espresso, and clove oil. The full-bodied palate is rich and decadent, framed by velvety tannins and compelling tension, finishing very long and very spicy.”

2019 Le Carillon d’Angelus – The second label from Angelus, this is coming from select plots from around Saint-Emilion and also includes Cabernet Sauvignon along with Cabernet Franc and Merlot. Incredibly expressive and nuanced, it’s has beautiful depth and intense flavors. While this may be a “second” wine, it would very well stand up to other first wines in the region. Made to not age quite as long as Angelus, it is a worthy understudy that has it’s own voice and style.

95 points, James Suckling: “Redcurrant, sweet-tobacco, bark and earth aromas follow through to a full body with a creamy texture of crushed stone and pure fruit at the end. It’s tight and pure with beautiful finesse and mouth-feel. 90% merlot and 10% cabernet franc.”
94 points, Decanter: “Lovely aromatic profile, delicate and softly perfumed with violets. A gorgeous rush of creamy red fruits on the palate - cranberry, redcurrant, red cherry and touches of blackcurrant leaf. The texture is smooth but dense yet flowing giving flavour and restraint. You can taste the creamy, chalkiness here with wet stone nuances really reflecting the terroir with a spicy kick and cooling mint finish. The taste goes on and on. (Drink between 2025-2045)”

2016 Le Carillon d’Angelus – An incredible vintage all across France, and Bordeaux was no exception. Incredible wines that are generous now but can last a long time. Made up of 75% Merlot and the remaining 1/4th is from Cabernet Franc. A deep burgundy color in the glass, it smells of damp forest, cigar box, and cassis. Drinking incredibly well right now, with the tannins integrating beautifully and wonderful acidity to keep its freshness.

95 points, James Suckling: “This is very reserved and tight with super fine tannins that are forceful and beautiful. Full-bodied, layered and beautiful. The tannins are forceful yet polished and thoughtful.”
94 points, Decanter: “Still young, far more so than the 2015, and you really see Carillon d'Angélus taking a step forward in precision - something that has been maintained since this vintage. A touch of reduction on the first nose, quickly clears to show plump black cherry fruits, liquorice and spices. They were looking to pick slightly earlier at this point to increase freshness and ageing potential, and you can see the results. A brilliant quality Carillon with huge sculpting and potential. (Drink between 2022-2038)”

Event Venue

The San Francisco Wine Trading Company, 250 Taraval Street, San Francisco, United States