Château Angelus Winery
"A good wine is a terroir that reveals itself through the person"
Stéphanie de Boüard-Rivoal
Stéphanie de Boüard-Rivoal
The vineyard of Château Angélus is virtually surrounded by the three churches of Saint-Émillions. When the "angel bells" (Angel) organised the day for the people in the fields and among the vines, calling for prayer, announcing a break - this could be heard particularly well here. The bell on the label of Château Angélus is a reminder of this.
The winery is run by the eighth generation of the Boüard de Laforest family. Stéphanie de Boüard-Rivoal has been in charge since 2012.
Château Angelus was first classified as a Grand Cru Classé in 1954. The company has always endeavoured to produce wines of the highest quality. This is also reflected in the extensive modernisations.
The winery building, completed in 2019, offers 4,400 square metres of space and is semi-underground. Under the green roof, the harvest is first selected using an optical laser sorting system. There are 18 conical tanks for fermentation, which are filled 100% gently by gravity. There is also a cellar for malolactic fermentation and one for barrel ageing. There is also a bottling and packaging plant. Nitrogen generation systems permanently protect the wines and control the oxygen content both during vinification and ageing.
The vineyards are located in a natural amphitheatre on a southern slope of Saint-Émilion. Here, the warmth causes growth to begin earlier. The hillside location ensures drainage. The soils contain up to 20% clay and limestone. Merlot grows on the rather clayey subsoil. The Cabernet Franc (47% of the vines) likes the sandy clay-limestone soils at the foot of the hill.
The Château describes the result of terroir influence, cellar work and blending as "lush, dense and creamy ... but also elegant, noble and pure with a lot of freshness."
photos: Château Angelus