2023 Angélus

“Two thousand twenty-three was the warmest year ever in France, but not in Bordeaux,” Hubert de Boüard stated emphatically. "We had mildew pressure in the spring and a cold summer until the end of August.” All that may be true, but what stands out most at Angélus these days is a greater focus on precision in the winemaking and farming.

Hubert de Boüard was on hand to guide me through the Château Angélus 2023s. Of course, they exited the Saint-Émilion classification last year following the kerfuffle over the latest rankings, after Ausone and Cheval Blanc. “Spring was quite warm and rainy with a lot of thunderstorms in May and June that enhanced the mildew pressure,” he explained. “We had to be constantly in the vineyard in terms of spraying, then removing leaves and bunches later to improve aeration. July saw fewer sunlight hours, but in August, storms came at night. The cool temperatures at night gave freshness, and we also found that the skins were slightly thicker [thereby reducing moisture absorption]. We cropped at 40hL/ha and started the picking on September 11 and finished on October 2 for the Grand Vin. There was a two-week difference in terms of the Merlot due to the soil type. In terms of extraction, we run cold maceration between 0°C and 3°C to infuse the skins without alcohol. When we started the fermentation, the juice was full of color and flavors, and we fermented it like a white wine between 20°C and 22°C, as we didn't want to over-extract tannins.”