1998 Château Angélus St. Émilion Grand Cru Bordeaux France Wine Tasting Note

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1998
98
Yes, yes and yes! Hitting it just right, this hedonistic thrill ride shoots out of the glass with its majestic perfume packed with truffle, dried flowers, cocoa, forest floor, dark cherries, and plum liqueur. On the palate, the wine is rich, opulent, silky, full, and deep, with a finish that does not want to quit. An hour of air is more than ample here. You can drink this now and for at least another 15-20 more years after that!

Yes, yes and yes! Hitting it just right, this hedonistic thrill ride shoots out of the glass with its majestic perfume packed with truffle, dried flowers, cocoa, forest floor, dark cherries, and plum liqueur. On the palate, the wine is rich, opulent, silky, full, and deep, with a finish that does not want to quit. An hour of air is more than ample here. You can drink this now and for at least another 15-20 more years after that!

4,284 Views   Tasted
Just a super wine that keeps getting better! With its silky tannins, sensuous textures, purity of fruit and floral, truffle, plum, dark cocoa and wet earth nose, the wine is exciting right off the bat. Rich, full bodied, long and youthful, this is so good now. But well stored bottles will be even better in 5 years. That being said, it is just great today!

Just a super wine that keeps getting better! With its silky tannins, sensuous textures, purity of fruit and floral, truffle, plum, dark cocoa and wet earth nose, the wine is exciting right off the bat. Rich, full bodied, long and youthful, this is so good now. But well stored bottles will be even better in 5 years. That being said, it is just great today!

5,796 Views   Tasted
Really coming into its own as it approaches 20 years of age, the wine has focus, concentration, lush textures, loads of sweet, ripe, juicy, plums, dark cherries, truffle, licorice and just a hint of dark chocolate. The tannins are soft and refined and there is freshness to the finish. Drink now, or wait 5-10 years, either way, this is a treat!

Really coming into its own as it approaches 20 years of age, the wine has focus, concentration, lush textures, loads of sweet, ripe, juicy, plums, dark cherries, truffle, licorice and just a hint of dark chocolate. The tannins are soft and refined and there is freshness to the finish. Drink now, or wait 5-10 years, either way, this is a treat!

5,230 Views   Tasted
With 90 minutes of air, the truffle dark cocoa, plum, smoke and licorice nose was in full bloom. Concentrated, plush and silky, the wine offered freshness and opulent textures along with sweet, earthy, plums in the finish. This is really in a good place as it approaches 20 years of age. If your bottles are well stored, it can still improve from here.

With 90 minutes of air, the truffle dark cocoa, plum, smoke and licorice nose was in full bloom. Concentrated, plush and silky, the wine offered freshness and opulent textures along with sweet, earthy, plums in the finish. This is really in a good place as it approaches 20 years of age. If your bottles are well stored, it can still improve from here.

6,104 Views   Tasted
In the background, Paul McCartney was belting out "She was just 17, and you know what I mean,,," I could not believe how young and fresh this wine still is. But do not that stop you from popping a cork, there are secondary notes galore, flowers, boysenberries, chocolate and truffle notes screaming just as loud as McCartney! The wine seems to have added additional levels of concentration since it was last tasted. The wine feels longer, taking up more room in your mouth. Splash decanted, the wine developed its trademark silky character within an hour and continued softening during the night. You can drink this bottle of pleasure now, or wait another 5-10 years, if the wine is well stored.

In the background, Paul McCartney was belting out "She was just 17, and you know what I mean,,," I could not believe how young and fresh this wine still is. But do not that stop you from popping a cork, there are secondary notes galore, flowers, boysenberries, chocolate and truffle notes screaming just as loud as McCartney! The wine seems to have added additional levels of concentration since it was last tasted. The wine feels longer, taking up more room in your mouth. Splash decanted, the wine developed its trademark silky character within an hour and continued softening during the night. You can drink this bottle of pleasure now, or wait another 5-10 years, if the wine is well stored.

6,907 Views   Tasted
Truffle, licorice, forest floor, plums and fresh herbs pair perfectly with the silky, lush textures and the long, pure, spicy, black cherry finish. Drinking great today, a few more years is only going to add additional complexity to the wine.

Truffle, licorice, forest floor, plums and fresh herbs pair perfectly with the silky, lush textures and the long, pure, spicy, black cherry finish. Drinking great today, a few more years is only going to add additional complexity to the wine.

6,190 Views   Tasted
Light ruby in color, the wine offers truffle, roasted pit fruit, fennel and smoke in the perfume. With soft, round, opulent textures and beginning to show signs of maturity, the wine ends with layers of licorice and spice, along with red and black fruits. If you have more than a few bottles, this is a good time to try one.

Light ruby in color, the wine offers truffle, roasted pit fruit, fennel and smoke in the perfume. With soft, round, opulent textures and beginning to show signs of maturity, the wine ends with layers of licorice and spice, along with red and black fruits. If you have more than a few bottles, this is a good time to try one.

7,576 Views   Tasted
Plums, coffee, blackberries, fennel and spicy oak open the perfume. Concentrated with plush, elegant, ripe dark fruit, the opulent, long finish ends in velvet coated plummy fruit.

Plums, coffee, blackberries, fennel and spicy oak open the perfume. Concentrated with plush, elegant, ripe dark fruit, the opulent, long finish ends in velvet coated plummy fruit.

5,975 Views   Tasted
The color remains deep, dark, still showing a slight purple tint. On the nose, the cornucopia of aromatics is stunning. Fresh herbs, cassis, cherries, plums, blackberries, licorice and smoke roar from the glass. The mouth feel sports a silky texture. Decadent layers of opulent, sexy, lush, polished ripe fruit gracefully coat your palate, sending your pleasure meter into overtime. Very concentrated. The seamless finish must last over 45 seconds. Still young. Another 5 years will add multiple layers of complexity to this already stunning wine. This is the best wine produced by the Chateau between 1990 and 2000.

The color remains deep, dark, still showing a slight purple tint. On the nose, the cornucopia of aromatics is stunning. Fresh herbs, cassis, cherries, plums, blackberries, licorice and smoke roar from the glass. The mouth feel sports a silky texture. Decadent layers of opulent, sexy, lush, polished ripe fruit gracefully coat your palate, sending your pleasure meter into overtime. Very concentrated. The seamless finish must last over 45 seconds. Still young. Another 5 years will add multiple layers of complexity to this already stunning wine. This is the best wine produced by the Chateau between 1990 and 2000.

6,081 Views   Tasted
The color remains deep, dark and still shows a slight purple tint. On the nose, the cornucopia of aromatics is stunning. Fresh herbs, cassis, cherries, plums, blackberries, licorice and smoke roar from the glass. The mouth feel is almost off the charts. Decadent layers of opulent, sexy, lush, polished ripe fruit gracefully coat your palate sending your pleasure meter into over time.

The color remains deep, dark and still shows a slight purple tint. On the nose, the cornucopia of aromatics is stunning. Fresh herbs, cassis, cherries, plums, blackberries, licorice and smoke roar from the glass. The mouth feel is almost off the charts. Decadent layers of opulent, sexy, lush, polished ripe fruit gracefully coat your palate sending your pleasure meter into over time.

5,366 Views   Tasted

When to Drink Chateau Angelus, Anticipated Maturity, Decanting Time

Chateau Angelus is much better with at least 12-15 years of aging in good vintages. Young vintages can be decanted for 2-3 hours or more. This allows the wine to soften and open its perfume.

Older vintages might need very little decanting, just enough to remove the sediment. Chateau Angelus offers its best drinking and should reach peak maturity between 12-35 years of age after the vintage.

Serving Chateau Angelus with Wine and Food Pairings

Chateau Angelus is best served at 15.5 degrees Celsius, 60 degrees Fahrenheit. The cool, almost cellar temperature gives the wine more freshness and lift.

Chateau Angelus is best paired with all types of classic meat dishes, veal, pork, beef, lamb, duck, game, roast chicken, roasted, braised, and grilled dishes. Chateau Angelus is also good when matched with Asian dishes, rich fish courses like tuna, mushrooms, and pasta.

Speaking of matching Chateau Angelus with food, in late 2013, the de Bouard family expanded their holdings in Saint Emilion when they purchased the well-known restaurant, Logis de la Cadene. They added to their restaurant holdings in 2019 when they purchased the Michelin starred Le Gabriel, located in the famous Place de la Bourse, in the heart of the city center in Bordeaux.

Logis de la Cadene has a history in St. Emilion and having dined there, from personal experience, I can honestly say, it's one of the top restaurants in all of Bordeaux as well. There is also a small, charming hotel, Logis de la Cadene owned by the de Bouard family that's located in the St. Emilion village.

Aside from their interests in Bordeaux, the de Bouard family also own vineyards in South Africa with Anwilka and Klein Constantia located in the Stellenbosch appellation.

www.angelus.com