Angelus 2016 (750ML)

100 WE / 99 JS / 98+ WA / 98 VM / 97 DE / 97 JD / 96 WS

#37 Wine Enthusiast's Top 100 Cellar Selections of 2019

This is a rich, perfumed wine, with dense tannins and intense layers of black plum and spice. The palate is firmly built yet broadened out by plump dark-fruit tones and honed by a solid, dry core. Drink from 2025. - Wine Enthusiast 

Subtle and profound aromas of blackberries, wet earth and sweet tobacco. Hints of spice, too. Full-bodied and so deep. It’s incredibly vertical and long. Just like looking down a well. Firm and powerful tannins, yet polished and balanced. Goes on for minutes. One of the greatest ever. Try after 2025. - James Suckling

The 2016 Angélus is composed of 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Franc, aged 18 to 22 months in new barrels and foudres. Deep garnet-purple colored, it drifts effortlessly out of the glass with sensuous notes of lavender, candied violets, garrigue, Ceylon tea and iron ore with a core of warm black cherries, mulberries, ripe plums and aniseed plus wafts of cedar chest and cloves. Medium to full-bodied, the perfumed fruit whispers of great intensity and depth, with the vivacious fruit well knit into the plush, seductive frame of velvety tannins and seamless freshness, finishing long and mineral laced. Still very tightly wound with amazing tension at this stage, it truly needs a good 6-8 more years in bottle to deliver the fully expressed layers that this soft-spoken, profound beauty promises. - LPB, Wine Advocate

The 2016 Angélus is a total stunner. Despite its late bottling in September 2018, the 2016 is simply magnificent. Soaring aromatics and layers of bright, vibrant fruit are two of the main signatures in the 2016. The tannins, so often hard in young Angélus, are almost impossibly refined. Pomegranate, blood orange, raspberry jam, wild flowers and mocha are some of the many notes that race through the 2016. All the elements fall into place in a memorable, exquisite Saint-Émilion that is clearly one of the wines of the year. Don't miss it! - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media 

A wonderful Angélus, rich in the character of this vintage. Stunning length on the silky tannins. This extends outwards, and the architecture is very much more linear than circular (as it is in some vintages), with a lovely freshness and power. I just love how effortless this feels, with deeply intense black fruits and a dried herb edge. The flesh isn't overt but absolutely present. Likely to take on some more weight over time and it will certainly take its time to reach its perfect drinking window. Wonderful sense of energy, power and intensity, yet it's so drinkable now. The 100% new oak is very well-integrated, a brilliant success. Blend is 60% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Franc, with the lowest pH for many years at 3.7 (the 2009 more like 3.9), mainly because the wide temperature differences between day and night slowed down the maturing process and kept freshness. - Jane Anson, Decanter

The 2016 Château Angélus is incredibly elegant and finesse-driven, with a soaring perfume of crème de cassis, white flowers, crayon, forest floor, and spice. Compared to the 1996 by the Angélus team, it has a deep, layered style, its oak is beautifully integrated, there are ample tannins, and despite leaning toward the finesse-driven side of the spectrum, it has thrilling depth of fruit and length. It’s a brilliant wine from this estate that will benefit from 4-5 years of bottle age and keep for 30+ years or more. The blend of the 2016 is 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Franc, brought up all in new French oak. - Jeb Dunnuck

This goes for the gusto, with a deep and broad swath of well-roasted tobacco, espresso and loam out front. The core of dark currant and fig fruit will have to catch up, but this red has the energy and juicy drive to eventually do so. When it melds fully, this will be a smoky, alluring, tobaccofueled wine. Best from 2024 through 2040. From France.—J.M., Wine Spectator