Chateau Angelus, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 2022

The 2022 Château Angélus is made up of 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Franc with a pH of 3.65. Deep garnet-purple colored, it prances out of the glass with flamboyant notes of red currant jelly, wild blueberries, cassis, and candied violets, followed by suggestions of jasmine tea, star anise, and crushed rocks. The full-bodied palate is impactful from first sip, yet slowly expands in the mouth, ultimately over-delivering on the nose's promise with layer upon layer of perfumed black and red fruits, supported by super fine-grained, silt-like tannins, finishing long and achingly shimmery.

This estate's shift in the direction of gentler extraction and more reductive, less overtly oaky élevage continues, and this extreme vintage only underlines that. Fermented at cool temperatures 20 to 23 degrees Celsius), and with an increasing proportion of the wine's Cabernet Franc component matured in large wooden foudres, the 2022 Angélus wafts from the glass with deep aromas of dark berries and cherries mingled with hints of iris, licorice and pencil lead. Full-bodied, deep and seamless, with a layered core of cool, vibrant fruit, powdery tannins and a long, saline finish, it's a brilliant young wine in the making. The 2022 is a blend of 53% Merlot, 46% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot.

Vivid ruby red fruits, smoked caramel and mint leaf underline the personality and definition of this wine, setting it apart from Château Angélus in a way that has been increasingly apparent over recent vintages, reflecting its separate vineyards, and clearly different blending. Has a luscious quality without being overdone, with concentrated sage and rosemary spice. 60% new oak, 18ha dedicated plots, Harvest September 6 to 28. Just over 10% of the Château Bellevue plots are now in Carillon so around 0.5ha), and the vinification saw double the usual time for cold soaking at no more than 2C to keep focus on fruit, never going over 22C during the fermentation itself.