2003 Chateau Angelus

Vinous 92

Deep ruby-red. Very ripe yet fresh on the nose: cherry, raspberry, graphite, chocolate, minerals. Lush, velvety and sweet, with unusual vivacity for a 2003 from the right bank thanks to the 50% cabernet franc component. Really coats the mouth with flavors of black raspberry, currant and chocolate. Not yet hugely complex, but the wine’s freshness, ripe tannins and superb persistence suggest that aging will bring greater nuance. Has the stuffing to buffer its chewy tannins. This was bottled in September of 2005. [Stephen Tanzer, 05/01/2006]

Robert Parker 98

I had this wine from my cellar, as well as at a tasting in Zurich in February of 2015. It is one of the handful of 2003s I bought from the Right Bank of Bordeaux in this vintage. Angelus really nailed the vintage, and has produced a fully mature wine that’s truly strutting its stuff. Dense, bluish/purple, it offers gorgeous notes of espresso roast, blackberry and blueberry liqueur, acacia flowers and a touch of chocolate. It is full-bodied, opulent and seems close to full maturity, as it is evolving quickly. The wine is full-bodied, rich and should be drunk over the next decade. [Robert M. Parker, Jr., 13/08/2015]

Anticipated maturity: 2015-2025