2003 Château Angélus St. Émilion Grand Cru Bordeaux France Wine Tasting Note

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2003
97
The complex set of aromatics kicks off with smoky cherries, figs, chocolate, espresso, tobacco, licorice, mint chip ice cream, and plum liqueur. Avoiding the often-encountered jamminess of the vintage, the wine offers a sensual, rich, luscious palate experience centered around chocolate-coated cherries, and black plums with salty caramel. The wine is long, concentrated, and showy. No decanting or further aging is required, just pop, pour, and enjoy over a few hours. Drink from 2024-2033.

The complex set of aromatics kicks off with smoky cherries, figs, chocolate, espresso, tobacco, licorice, mint chip ice cream, and plum liqueur. Avoiding the often-encountered jamminess of the vintage, the wine offers a sensual, rich, luscious palate experience centered around chocolate-coated cherries, and black plums with salty caramel. The wine is long, concentrated, and showy. No decanting or further aging is required, just pop, pour, and enjoy over a few hours. Drink from 2024-2033.

1,992 Views   Tasted
Perfectly ripe, velvet-drenched plums hit the spot. Rich, concentrated, sensuous and long, the wine hits all the right notes from start to finish. There is no touch of heat or jammy characteristics. This hedonistic treat is close to full-maturity, where it should remain for at least another 12-15 years. If you have a bottle and have been waiting for the right time to pop a cork, your wait is over.

Perfectly ripe, velvet-drenched plums hit the spot. Rich, concentrated, sensuous and long, the wine hits all the right notes from start to finish. There is no touch of heat or jammy characteristics. This hedonistic treat is close to full-maturity, where it should remain for at least another 12-15 years. If you have a bottle and have been waiting for the right time to pop a cork, your wait is over.

5,127 Views   Tasted
What a sexy beast! Supple, sensuous, lush, opulent and expressive, the wine offers intensity, concentration, vibrancy, purity and velvet laced tannins. This is beautiful today and should improve from here. But I am digging how this shows today.

What a sexy beast! Supple, sensuous, lush, opulent and expressive, the wine offers intensity, concentration, vibrancy, purity and velvet laced tannins. This is beautiful today and should improve from here. But I am digging how this shows today.

5,309 Views   Tasted
A bit oakier than the bottle tasted earlier this year, time in the decanter helped to blunt much of that. The ripe, dense, sweet, black plums and cherries are accompanied by smoke, licorice, tobacco, espresso and wet earth. Lush, concentrated and with good density, this still has room for improvements.

A bit oakier than the bottle tasted earlier this year, time in the decanter helped to blunt much of that. The ripe, dense, sweet, black plums and cherries are accompanied by smoke, licorice, tobacco, espresso and wet earth. Lush, concentrated and with good density, this still has room for improvements.

6,148 Views   Tasted
This sexy beast is drinking great today. Pure silk on the palate, with loads or richly textured, ripe, sweet, black cherry, plum, truffle, smoke, licorice and tobacco. No touch of heat, but the wine is maturing at a slightly more rapid pace than other, recent vintages.

This sexy beast is drinking great today. Pure silk on the palate, with loads or richly textured, ripe, sweet, black cherry, plum, truffle, smoke, licorice and tobacco. No touch of heat, but the wine is maturing at a slightly more rapid pace than other, recent vintages.

6,346 Views   Tasted
One of the better wines from this scorching hot, vintage. The wine offers a blend of sweet, dark cherries, boysenberry, dark chocolate, licorice, smoke and truffle essences in the nose. Concentrated and refined, there is a beautiful softness in the texture, that allows you to enjoy all the ripe, sweet, fruit. There is sensation of jam, or heat, instead, you find a sultry, sexy, sensuously, textured finish. The can age further, but it is so good right now, if you have a few bottles, you should pop a cork.

One of the better wines from this scorching hot, vintage. The wine offers a blend of sweet, dark cherries, boysenberry, dark chocolate, licorice, smoke and truffle essences in the nose. Concentrated and refined, there is a beautiful softness in the texture, that allows you to enjoy all the ripe, sweet, fruit. There is sensation of jam, or heat, instead, you find a sultry, sexy, sensuously, textured finish. The can age further, but it is so good right now, if you have a few bottles, you should pop a cork.

5,489 Views   Tasted
The truffle covered cherry nose draws you in and the soft, silky, smooth textures keep you there. Lacking the power and depth found in the top vintages, the wine is quite nice and can be enjoyed now, or aged for more complexities.

The truffle covered cherry nose draws you in and the soft, silky, smooth textures keep you there. Lacking the power and depth found in the top vintages, the wine is quite nice and can be enjoyed now, or aged for more complexities.

5,891 Views   Tasted
Maturing at a more rapid pace than originally anticipated, the wine is soft, fleshy and round, offering jammy plum, dark cherry, truffle, cocoa and smoke on the nose. The supple textured finish delivers sweet fruits and jam. This is close to mature. There is probably no hurry to drink it yet, but there is not much reason to wait before popping a cork.

Maturing at a more rapid pace than originally anticipated, the wine is soft, fleshy and round, offering jammy plum, dark cherry, truffle, cocoa and smoke on the nose. The supple textured finish delivers sweet fruits and jam. This is close to mature. There is probably no hurry to drink it yet, but there is not much reason to wait before popping a cork.

5,483 Views   Tasted
This offers up large quantities of spicy black fruit with blue fruit accents. Hedonistic in style, but without the depth and complexity found in their 2004. This vintage features ose to 60% Cabernet Franc.

This offers up large quantities of spicy black fruit with blue fruit accents. Hedonistic in style, but without the depth and complexity found in their 2004. This vintage features ose to 60% Cabernet Franc.

9,308 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