Château Angelus 2007

Seductive nose, berries and a hint of cedar; smooth, juicy, fine-grained tannins; already a pleasure at this stage.

A super effort from proprietor Hubert de Bouard, this blend of 62% Merlot and 38% Cabernet Franc exhibits sweet notes of chocolate, charcoal, blackberries, and jammy cherries in its round, opulent, fleshy personality. Yields were 35 hectoliters per hectare, and the wine achieved 13.5% natural alcohol. Low acidity and ripe tannin make for a voluptuous style of Angelus to drink now and over the next 10-15 years.

Shows very good intensity of blackberry and coffee bean on the nose. Full-bodied, with slightly austere tannins and a long finish. A little hollow midpalate. Almost minerally. There's a lot of wood and cool fruit character — a bit too much new wood for me. Wait and see. Best after 2012.

Intense and enticing campfire smoke, with beautiful rich fruit behind the grilled aromatics; it's open and just about ready to start drinking. A generally lighter vintage across Bordeaux, but you can see how Angléus overdelivers in these years, combining blackberry, redcurrant and blueberry fruit with orange peel and white truffle. Harvest from September 25 to October 12.

This is a clean wine with currant, berry and spicy notes. Full-bodied with soft tannins and a cherry, sweet tobacco and mineral undertone. Drink now.

Medium-bodied and fully mature, this represents a blend of Burgundy and Bordeaux, with a bit more Bordeaux than Burgundy, if such a thing were possible. More a wine of finesse, with soft tannins, medium body, and a complex blend of truffle, spice box, plum, and assorted red fruits. This is really drinking nicely today and does not need further cellaring.

Deep, dark garnet-purple. Compact, dense bouquet with cherry tones, coffee and blackcurrant notes, profound. On the palate, floral hints from the spicy, tobacco-laced Cabernet Franc, very well supported, strongly astringent with grainy, demanding tannins, currently quite firm, enormous potential. Will it keep its edges? First drinking window only in ten years.

Deep, dark garnet-purple. Concentrated, dense bouquet with cherry tones, coffee, and blackcurrant notes, showing real depth. On the palate, floral notes of spicy, tobacco-like Cabernet Franc; very good backbone, strongly astringent with grainy, demanding tannins, coming across as quite hard at this stage but with enormous potential. The question is whether it will channel this power or keep its edges. First drinking window only in 10 years. (18/20). Great blackcurrant notes, black tea, bread crust; elegant palate that is surprisingly full for a 2007. Still gaining. You can drink it now, but waiting a few more years is better.

Dense, velvety, powerful, concentrated bouquet with black cherries, dried fruits, mocha and chocolate. Concentrated, elegant, full palate with a tight structure, plenty of tannins, intense fruit. Dense, velvety finish. Can still improve. 18/20 2015 - 2030

A blend of 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Franc, the 2007 Angelus is deep garnet in color, with a touch of brick. It races out of the glass with notes of redcurrant preserves, raspberry pie, and kirsch, plus wafts of dried bay leaves, forest floor, graphite, and a hint of leather. Medium-bodied, the palate has a firm, chewy texture and a refreshing backbone defining the savory/earthy flavors, finishing with an herbal lift.

Vanilla-tinged oaky notes, seductive, but the palate reveals a more floral, fine texture with great length. A beautiful, complete character, still marked by its ageing, but it will undoubtedly blossom over time.

The 2007 produced a dense, powerful wine, yet well-balanced, and with a few years of maturation, it will regain its feline elegance.

The nose reveals notes of ripe fruit with a hint of truffle and a touch of menthol. The palate is gourmand, fresh, broad, round, elegant, well-structured, and offers lovely texture. On the palate, there are notes of red fruit with a hint of blueberry and blackberry, along with subtle notes of chocolate, cherry, and a stick of licorice on the finish. The tannins are supple, very elegant, and well-integrated.

Intense, deep and beautiful color. Fruity, fresh, ripe, and licorice-accented nose with hints of hazelnut and truffle. A lovely wine, very silky on the palate, with a pronounced taste of licorice, flowers, and truffle. Good body. Refined tannins, followed by a beautiful length and a character that makes it impossible to spit out. It’s superb.

There is good density here, a wine that seems well balanced and integrated. It has a solid, firm kernel, but this is balanced with great fresh acidity as well as blackberry fruits. The wine still seems to be coming together after bottling, and certainly needs 4–5 years.