A Night of Bordeaux Wine with Angelus and Pichon Lalande

Château Pichon Comtesse de Lalande and Château Angélus are of two different styles, but both appeal to me. While Pichon Lalande shows classic elegance and grace from the Left Bank, Angélus is more the modern Right Bank style with its richnes and opulence.

 Of course we started with a glass of champagne and I had some discussion with guests about Angélus. Some people mentioned the important role of Michel Rolland as a consultant, the high ratings by Mr. Parker and the appearance in a Bond movie.

  

But more importantly was the arrival of  Hubert de Boüard de Laforest in 1976 who studied under Émile Peynaud at the Faculté d’Oenologie in Bordeaux.   He quickly realised that there was considerable room for improvement in all areas at Angélus.  “In the chai he started with the introduction of new equipment, stainless steel to replace the vinification vessels which were concrete, and new barrels for the subsequent maturation of the wines. Following Hubert taking full control in 1985, Angélus has also seen the arrival of climate-controlled cellars and a new tasting room. And perhaps more notably, some of his experiences in Burgundy have been incorporated into the winemaking at Angélus, such as the rapid move of the wine into barrel, where malolactic occurs, and the importance of lees in the élevage of red wines.

These changes may sound relatively minor, but when one considers that Hubert de Boüard’s father never utilised barrel maturation at all, the wine going from concrete tank into bottle, this was a major shift in direction (and a huge financial investment) for Angélus. And  in the vineyard there was increased selection and a new approach, a move towards managing the estate plot-by-plot rather than as a single entity. Fertilisation is organic rather than chemical, there is grass covering between the rows of vines, and there is much focus on preserving the health of the soil, ensuring that it remains richly endowed with a diverse array of microbial life.