2018 Chateau Angelus Saint-Emilion Grand Cru Bordeaux 750 ml

“Pure perfection.”

“A sensational, magical wine.”

Critical rhapsodies like these from Jeb Dunnuck don’t come easy in Bordeaux. They are the response when thousands of factors—and years of preparation—fall into place. And with their spectacular 100-point 2018, Château Angélus put every piece in precisely the right location. 

Once described by Robert Parker as “topflight wine and a must-buy for true Saint-Émilion lovers,” Chateau Angélus owes its success over the years to Hubert de Boüard, the sixth-generation owner whose strict fidelity to quality has inspired other producers in Saint-Émilion to up their game. Today his daughter Stéphanie de Boüard-Rivoal manages the estate.

It’s no exaggeration to say this bottle was decades in the making. In the 1980s, Angélus implemented green harvesting. Their vineyard manager, who grew up on the estate, has been working its vines for FORTY years. They started using a sorting table in 1986. 

In 2012, Château Angélus was promoted to be one of only four “A-level” Premier Grand Cru Classé properties in Saint-Émilion. In 2014, they opened entirely new cellars. In 2022, Angélus withdrew from “A-level” contention (for reasons all their own), but as this bottle shows, they are still at the very pinnacle of Bordeaux’s Right Bank. 

This is certainly one of the great bottles made in Bordeaux in the 2018 vintage. The product of a very hot summer, it shows a dark ruby color with slight purple undertones in the glass. The opulent and perfumed nose is just beginning to show the depth and dimension of the wine. Cassis and mulberry mix with lavender, lilac, violet, and tobacco, touched by cocoa, fresh leather, allspice, and vanilla bean. The palate is dense and still compact, with dark cherries, bay, clove, and sandalwood. The body feels full and the tannins remain tightly wound in elegant, pixilated perfection. 

Decades of life lie ahead of this wine, which is a true blue-chip collectible. Whether you’re making a fiduciary decision or just an investment in pleasure, this wine will serve you well.