1997 Château Angelus

Château Angelus, a Premier Grand Cru of the St.-Emilion appellation, is one of the most romantically-named of all the Bordeaux chateaux. The estate takes its name from one of its vineyards where you can simultaneously hear the daily devotional ringing of the Angelus bells from three nearby catholic churches. The château has been in the Bouard de Laforest family for eight generations and its 57.8 acres of vineyards are located on the lower slopes of the Mazerat Valley. Though long known for its appealing wines, in the 1980s Château Angelus embarked on an aggressive program to improve its winemaking. The wines since then have been made in small 100% oak casks, and by 1996 the wine was so good that it was elevated to premier grand cru. The estate grows 50% Merlot, 47% Cabernet Franc and 3% Cabernet Sauvignon, and the average age of the vines is 35 years. About 75,000 bottles of Château Angelus are made annually.

Saint-Émilion is on the east side of the Dordogne River. At 13,400 acres it is one of Bordeaux’s largest appellations, and perhaps its most picturesque. It is also home to what has been called “the garagiste” movement of upstart, tradition-defying winemakers who produce artisanal wines in styles that are unconventional for the appellation. The village of Saint-Émilion dates from the middle ages and it sits on low hills, surrounded by ancient walls. Like its neighbor Pomerol, Saint-Émilion was not included in the famous Bordeaux classification system of 1855. But a century later a ranking system was put in place, and unlike the classification system for the Medoc, the Saint-Émilion system is reviewed every ten years, meaning that estates can be upgraded or downgraded. There are three rankings: Grand Cru Classé, Premier Grand Cru Classé B and Premier Grand Cru Classé A, with the final ranking being the best. Such legendary Saint-Émilion estates as Châteaux Ausone and Cheval-Blanc are Premier Grand Cru Classé A, along with Châteaux Pavie and Angélus, both added to the classification in 2012. Wines in this appellation are primarily Merlot, mixed with Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon.

Promoted to Premier Grand Cru Classe A in Sept 2012