Château Angelus 2017

Tasted in November 2021. 70% Merlot + 30% C. Franc, 14% alcohol. 30% less produced because of frost in the spring. Fragrant cherries and raspberries, milk chocolate and cocoa powder. It was lighter in intensity and concentration, and there were more elegance and finesse here than you could find in 2015 and 2016. Excellent effort for the vintage.

After a very favourable start to the growing season with a very early bud-break, the vine cycle was delayed at the end of April by a frost which hit the Bordeaux region very severely. At Angélus, where nature was kind, we were mostly spared this sad episode. However, over the small area affected by the frost, substantial selection work was carried out. The rest of the season went wonderfully smoothly with an excellent flowering, followed by a very hot month of June which boosted the vines’ energy levels and gave them the strength they needed to develop high quality grapes. A quite cool but dry summer allowed the grapes to ripen slowly and evenly, which favoured fresh fruit aromatic expression.
The end of summer weather was a little rainy; however, with the grapes already ripe we decided to begin harvesting on September 13th!
The wines have deep colour, while on the nose they show immediate charm and pure aromatics bursting with fruit. On the palate, the tannins are tight-grained and silky, precise and in good balance with flesh and great freshness that brings energy and mouth-watering length of flavour. 
2017 at Angélus is both harmonious and bursting with fruit flavour.

Harvest: 13th to 29th September
Blend: 70 % Merlot, 30 % Cabernet Franc

One of the darkest colored wines in the vintage is the 2017 Angélus. Its final blend is 70% Merlot and 30% Cabernet Franc, which includes more Cabernet Franc than usual. It's a polished, elegant, layered wine that has beautiful notes of crème de cassis, spice, graphite, and minerality. It has medium to full-bodied richness, fine, silky tannin, beautiful purity and more elegance and charm than normal. I suspect it will put on weight with time in barrel and have two decades or more of longevity.
Barrel Sample: 94-97

Ruby. Blackberries, anise, spices, blueberries, floral high notes, nuanced, scented, detailed and layered nose. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, fresh, fruity, dark berries, anise, spices, blueberries, detailed, long. 96-98