Chateau Angelus Saint Emilion 2014
(Saint Emilion, Bordeaux, France) - [WE 97] [DM 96] [WS 95] [WA 94+] [JD 94] [JS 94] [TWI 93+] [VM 92]

About the Winery:
Château Angélus is known for its complex, structured and particularly elegant wines, whose refinement is only matched by the family passion that gave them birth. The estate has been owned by the Boüard de Laforest family since the Domaine de Mazerat was bequeathed to Comte Maurice de Boüard de Laforest in 1910. It was expanded by the acquisition of Clos de L'Angélus in 1922 by Elisabeth Bouchet his wife and a plot from Château Beau-Séjour Bécot in 1969. The name refers to the three Angelus bells audible from the vineyards, coming from the chapel at Mazerat, the church in Saint-Martin de Mazerat and Saint-Émilion. The château also produces a second wine named Carillon d’Angélus (since 1987) and a third wine, No. 3 d’Angélus.

Château Angélus was designated a Grand Cru Classé when the Saint-Émilion classification was created in 1955, due to its already outstanding reputation. In 2012, it reached the pinnacle, achieving the title of Premier Grand Cru Classé "A," a distinction it held until the 2021 vintage. In early 2022, the Domaine opted to withdraw from the classification, the next edition of which was scheduled to be officially announced in September of that year. Consequently, from the 2022 vintage onward, the Château Angélus label will only bear the Grand Cru de Saint-Émilion designation. 

About the Wine:
Château Angélus is planted in a 27-hectare vineyard, on slopes with clay soils, as well as on pied-de-côte with clay-limestone soils. The grape varieties are 50% Merlot, 47% Cabernet Franc, and 3% Cabernet Sauvignon. The wines are aged for 18 to 22 months in French oak barrels.

Ratings & Reviews

97 Points & Cellar Selection - Wine Enthusiast:
"Effectively half-and-half Merlot and Cabernet Franc, this is a tremendous wine. With very fine tannins, spice from a touch of wood and swathes of ripe fruits give this wine its concentration and its huge potential. The wine has weight and a dark, dense structure that will allow it to age for many years. Drink from 2027." - Roger Voss (Apr 2017)

96 Points - Decanter Magazine:
"An Indian summer vintage (as well as the 30th harvest for Hubert de Boüard), this wine is young and closed right now. There's austerity on the attack but the ageing potential is clear in every ripple. Given time in the glass, the spiced cinnamon and toasted cherry-pit notes become more evident, along with intense but fresh blackberry and damson fruits, and the balanced generosity that's such a signature of the property." - Jane Anson (Nov 2018)

95 Points - Wine Spectator:
"This has a dense, muscular core of warm blackberry, black currant and fig paste flavors, shrouded under a cloak of tobacco and loam. Not shy on toast and balanced by a hefty ganache edge, this isn't heady at all, just a terrific expression of the muscular, loamy style. Best from 2026 through 2040. 8,335 cases made." - JM (Mar 2017)

94+ Points - Wine Advocate:
"Medium to deep garnet in color, the 2014 Angélus needs a fair bit of coaxing to begin to reveal very pretty aromas of lilacs, kirsch, redcurrant jelly and Black Forest cake plus nuances of graphite and menthol. The palate is delicately intense with soft spoken floral and earth notes complimenting the black fruits, supported by ripe, rounded tannins and oodles of freshness, finishing long with compelling restraint. Sporting a good amount of tertiary nuances, it can be enjoyed right now, but make sure to decant it a good 1.5 to two hours prior to drinking." - LPB (Oct 2020)

94 Points - Jeb Dunnuck:
"Still youthful ruby-hued, the 2014 Château Angelus is showing beautifully today and brings more richness, depth, and pleasure than most wines in the vintage. Classic Angelus aromatics of red and black fruits, spring flowers, graphite, and cedary tobacco nuances all emerge on the nose, and it's medium to full-bodied on the palate, with a balanced, layered, incredibly elegant mouthfeel, polished tannins, and a great finish. I love it today yet see no reason it shouldn't continue evolving for another 30 years in cold cellars. Drink 2026-2056." (Mar 2026)

94 Points - James Suckling:
"Ripe damson-plum, candied-orange and spice aromas pour from the glass of this ripe and generous St.-Emilion. Impressive tannin structure behind all the richness, the bitter-chocolate and expresso notes at the warm and long finish underlining the ripe fruit very neatly. Still so much life and so many years ahead of it. Drink or hold. Château Quintus vertical tasting." (May 2022)

93+ Points - The Wine Independent:
"2014 Angelus is fruity and intense with a deep and insisting cassis-like nose. It has lots of pepper and spices followed by notes of blackcurrants and cedar ending with soft tannins and a pleasant, rounded aftertaste. This wine is almost there – give it another 3-5 years and it should provide excellent drinking." - Ivar Bjurner (Aug 2025)

92 Points - Vinous Media:
"The 2014 Angélus has an attractive nose with dark berry fruit, chocolate, singed leather and quite pronounced Cabernet Franc scents that lend complexity. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins and a very silky texture. Not a powerful Angélus, this is instead refined with impressive mineralité towards the finish. Classy and sophisticated. Just one caveat: another bottle tasted blind, was less convincing, and felt a little attenuated towards the finish, hence my slightly more parsimonious score. " - Neal Martin (Mar 2024)