Chateau Angelus 2014

WINE ENTHUSIAST: "Effectively half-and-half Merlot and Cabernet Franc, this is a tremendous wine. With very fine tannins, spice from a touch of wood and swathes of ripe fruits give this wine its concentration and its huge potential. The wine has weight and a dark, dense structure that will allow it to age for many years. Drink from 2027."

JAMES SUCKLING: "Wow. This is really decadent and fascinating with forest flowers, chocolate, tea and currants on the nose, which follows through to a firm and silky palate with lots of fruit and balance. Very long and beautiful. Citrusy undertones. Needs five or six years of bottle age to show it all."

DECANTER: "An Indian summer vintage (as well as the 30th harvest for Hubert de Boüard), this wine is young and closed right now. There's austerity on the attack but the ageing potential is clear in every ripple. Given time in the glass, the spiced cinnamon and toasted cherry-pit notes become more evident, along with intense but fresh blackberry and damson fruits, and the balanced generosity that's such a signature of the property. Drinking Window 2024 - 2037"

THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER: "Everything here is all about the future and it's easy to see why, with all the wet earth, smoke, tobacco, licorice, truffle and juicy plums going on here. On the palate, the wine is soft, silky, fresh and long. However, it's starting to close up and go to sleep. So, if you want to try a bottle young, pop a cork. Else, wait 10-12 years."

WINE SPECTATOR: "This has a dense, muscular core of warm blackberry, black currant and fig paste flavors, shrouded under a cloak of tobacco and loam. Not shy on toast and balanced by a hefty ganache edge, this isn't heady at all, just a terrific expression of the muscular, loamy style. Best from 2026 through 2040. 8,335 cases made."

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "Medium to deep garnet in color, the 2014 Angélus needs a fair bit of coaxing to begin to reveal very pretty aromas of lilacs, kirsch, redcurrant jelly and Black Forest cake plus nuances of graphite and menthol. The palate is delicately intense with soft spoken floral and earth notes complimenting the black fruits, supported by ripe, rounded tannins and oodles of freshness, finishing long with compelling restraint. Sporting a good amount of tertiary nuances, it can be enjoyed right now, but make sure to decant it a good 1.5 to two hours prior to drinking."

WEINWISSER: "50 % Merlot, 50 % Cabernet Franc. Extrem dunkles Purpur mit lila und violetten Reflexen. Im Ansatz ist das Bouquet ziemlich wuchtig, man spürt die reifen, noch leicht floralen Cabernets. Wobei die Mehrzahl eigentlich falsch ist, denn im Blend sind ja nur die Francs. Der Cabernet Sauvignon (3 % Pflanzungsanteil) wurde in den Carillon deklassiert. Das Nasenbild ist nobel, schön ausgelegt und deutet eine versprechende Tiefe an. Im Gaumen verlangend, die Tannine weisen leicht sehnige Muskeln auf, die Aromatik ist hier mit Cassis und schwarzen Kirschen bestückt, das Finale zeigt feine Rauchnoten und Lakritze. Der Rohbau ist sehr gut. Jetzt braucht es das Fett der Barrique, um ihm die nötige Ummantelung zu garantieren. Preislich gibt es da leider immer mehr Alternativen. Und das ärgert mittlerweile auch die eingefleischtesten Angélus-Fans."