(96-98) Blushing fruits, forest floor, truffle, mint and smoke fashion a bouquet that is enough to get you hooked on this outstanding creation. However, if you need more, the velvet textures, parfait of sweet red and black fruits, spice box and a sensuous finish

The top wine here is terrific, and the 2017 Chateau Angelus is in the top two or three wines on the Right Bank. Checking in as 70% Merlot and a full 30% Cabernet Franc, it shows the slightly more elegant, polished style favored at the estate these days yet still packs ample richness and depth. Deep purple-hued with awesome creme de cassis-like fruit as well as plenty of unsmoked tobacco, new saddle leather, white truffle, and white chocolate aromas and flavors, this beauty is medium to full-bodied, has ultra-fine tannins, no hard edges, and a great, great finish. This is a wine of power and elegance. You could be excused for drinking bottles even today, but ideally, it should be given 7-8 years of bottle age, at which point it’s going to evolve for 25-30 years.

Emmanuelle has been making wine here for 22 years now. The freshness of the Merlot in 2017 reminds her of 2001 - I would certainly agree, and maybe with a hint of 2014 too. It's a beautiful wine, voluptuous but elegant. These vines were not frosted, but the Cabernet Franc produced less than usual, and they also made an extremely careful selection overall, leading to a yield of 30hl/ha. The wine has great complexity, which is a standout character in 2017, with bilberries, charcoal and plush damson - the Angelus signature of power and glamour. There is good tannic density here and it will clearly merit long ageing. 85,000 bottles of Angelus produced, representing around 80% of total production. Matured in 100% new oak. Read more at https://www.decanter.com/wine-reviews/france/bordeaux/chateau-angelus-st-emilion-1er-grand-cru-classe-a-2017-20423#SEMCvtZ5z572rQWm.99

(WA 94-96 points) A blend of 70% Merlot and 30% Cabernet Franc, the deep purple-black colored 2017 Angélus is a little closed to begin, opening out beautifully to notes of baked plums, fresh blackberries and chocolate-covered cherries with hints of mocha, bay leaves, beef drippings and wood smoke plus a touch of roses. Medium to full-bodied with a great density of mid-palate fruit and firm, fine-grained tannins, it finishes long and earthy with a compelling lift. - Lisa Perrotti-Brown

While this wine has density and richness, the structure gives it an ageworthy shape. Its power is tamed and given sophistication, while acidity and black-plum flavors give freshness. The wine will be impressive. Drink from 2024. - ROGER VOSS

(93-96) This is jazzed up a bit, with dark anise and black tea aromatics leading off, followed by juicy blackberry, boysenberry and bramble notes. Has some flashy spice on the finish and some expensive-feeling toast, but everything is in lockstep as this moves along. -JM

Quite a rich and succulent wine for this vintage, with fragrant blue-fruit aromas that are neatly wrapped around the moderately tannic core. Attractive licorice and bitter-chocolate character at the long, substantial finish. Very good potential. Drinkable now, but best from 2025. Château Quintus vertical tasting. SP.