93 -94 points,

James Suckling, jamessuckling.com, April 2012

Very elegant Angelus with blueberry and chocolate character. Full to medium body, with fine tannins. Lovely and delicious. Reminds me of the 2001 but better. 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Franc.

88 points,

Jancis Robinson, July 2012

Deep purple. Very rich sumptuous nose. Much lighter and fresher on the palate than most vintages. Clean and well constructed but distinctly tough on the end. 16.5/20

Jeff Loo, JJ Buckley, April 2012

50% merlot, 47% cabernet franc, and 3% cabernet sauvignon. From a 26-hectare parcel on the lower slopes of the south-facing St. Emilion cote, soils vary from top to bottom, but are largely clay and limestone. Average vine age is over 30 years. Aged 18-24 months in 100% new oak. Dark purplish red at core and rim. A rich gamey, spice, and tea leaf nose merges with tobacco, crushed stones, and bounteous red fruit on the back end. The palate is extremely full-bodied, with mammoth tannins and high toned acidity, yet the wine is well-integrated. This wine will need 5-8 years to come around, and can age for another 10. Drink 2017-2030.

90 -92 points,

Neal Martin's Wine Journal, April 2012

The 2011 is a blend of 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Franc. There is a lot of maceration evident on the dense, broody bouquet with scents of blackberry and mulberry. It is missing the sheer exuberance of the previous two vintages and comes across as a little sullen by comparison. The palate is smooth and harmonious on the entry with tightly knit tannins and well-integrated oak. There is admirable focus here and the finish is strong, almost sinewy. The persistency is impressive, although it will hopefully develop more finesse by the time of bottling. Tasted twice with consistent notes. Tasted April 2012.

92 -95 points,

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, April 2012

A great success for proprietor Hubert de Bouard, the 2011 Angelus came in at 14.5% natural alcohol (keep in mind that this is supposedly a challenging vintage - and it was), and 75% of the production made it into the top label. The remainder was declassified into a second label or was sold off in bulk. Yields were a low 30 hectoliters per hectare, and the final blend was 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Franc. The color is a typical dense blue/purple, and the nose offers up wonderful notes of black raspberries, blueberries, flowers, vanillin and spice box. With authority, velvety tannin, good extract and glycerin, this rich, pure, beautifully textured St.-Emilion should drink well for 20+ years.

91 -94 points,

Stephen Tanzer's IWC, May 2012

Opaque ruby-purple. Deep, brooding aromas of cassis, blackberry syrup, coffee and cocoa. Then very rich, dense and unctuous, with blackberry syrup, blueberry liqueur, vanilla and chocolate-covered plum flavors of uncommon depth and purity. The smooth, velvety texture coats the palate while avoiding the bitterness and tannic unpleasantness of many other 2011s. Very long and serious wine, perhaps better balanced than the 2009 and 2010 vintages. As impressive as those wines might be, I think they were too extracted.

92 -94 points,

Wine Enthusiast, April 2012

Very dry, firm and hard, this is heavily dominated by new wood. It's only the underlying weight that suggests the black fruit potential. -R.V.

91 -94 points,

Wine Spectator, January 2012

Polished and direct, with warm raspberry coulis, blueberry preserves and plum flavors pumping along, while a pain d'épices note fills out the finish. There's a loamy echo on the finish that adds depth and length, so this should be putting on weight. –JM

About Winery

A scant kilometre from the famous bell-tower at Saint Emilion, on its renowned south facing "pied de cote" (foot of the hill) site, Chateau Angelus is the story of a passionate involvement of the last four generations of the Benard de Laforest family.

The estate's name derives from a particularly ancient plot of vineyard, from which the men tending the vines were able to hear the angelus ringing out from all three of the village churches, chapelle de Mazerat the church of Saint Martin de Mazerat and the church of Saint Emilion.

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