Of Miniskirts And Leftover Decanters Of Chateau Angelus

Chateau Angelus wines

A sumptuous dish perfect for a refreshing Chateau Angelus wine

It was indeed challenging to cook at the Chateau Angelus dinner for Wine Story, having to execute it at Romy-Sia’s Wine Story outlet at Serendra and considering factors that are outside a chef’s comfort zone.  It was a truly refreshing logistical exercise since one had to create and give credence to a legendary and famous wine.

The tasting was truly an experience for Bordeaux lovers because the occasion was annotated and graced by none other than the moving spirit behind Chateau Angelus, Hubert de Bouard. 

It was a rather cordial introduction since we both had a mutual friend who is tied up with the Chateau Angelus vineyard by the name of Visooth Lohitnavy who owns Granmonte Vineyards in Thailand and who I visit every harvest time in this side of the world.

Anyway, as chef of the dinner, I got the privilege of being sent the numerous vintages tasted during the course of the dinner. I must say that every wine opened was impeccable, many to be described as only within the narrow minima and maxima of excellence. 

Looking into the history of this famous Saint-Émilion wine, this estate is located on the south facing Le Pieds de Cotes where well known tower bells can be heard ringing the Angelus from three local churches of Mazerat and St. Emilion.

Chateau Angelus was originally a three-hectare plot acquired by Maurice de Bouard de La Forest whose family owned the neighboring Chateau Mazerat.  Expanded by the next generations and now run by Hubert de Bouard and his cousin Jean Bernard Grenie, the Chateau Angelus was promoted to the rank of First Great Classified Growth and acknowledged throughout the world as one of the leading estates in St. Emilion.

Personally, what is detectable and what immediately is displayed in the wine is the intensity of the blend which is a surprising 50% Merlot, 47% Cabernet Franc and 3% Cabernet Sauvignon mix that is quite astonishing for a St. Emilion that would use higher percentages of Merlot.  

The process of harvesting and sorting is done manually with 100% destemming that accounts for the light tannins and finesse of the wines that one cannot get from machine selection or picking.

Another set of wines tasted during this evening was Hubert’s own La Fleur de Bouard. This is an estate near the plateau of Pomerol beside St. Emilion and continues to embody his family’s philosophy on terroir, tradition and combines his vast technological experience as oenologist and wine consultant for prestigious Bordeaux vineyards.

Eventually, as the evening settled and as the wine collectors got their fill, I proceeded to the back room and got my own personal tasting from the precious liquid still remaining in the decanters (all served by the beautiful mini skirted sales and marketing force of Wine Story dressed in red that gave me some difficulty in focusing on my tasting. Nevertheless, the palate prevailed.)

Here are some tasting notes on Chateau Angelus and La Fleur de Bouard.

CHATEAU ANGELUS 1998 – dried leaves, leafy, herbaceous, plums and red fruits, soft, fine leather, black olive; scent of faint rose attar; it did have floral attributes; tannins are soft, may still peak in a few more years; (I like this label most, as most archaic in design, too.)

CHATEAU ANGELUS 2000 – mocha, earth leather, plummy, soft tannins, good acid structure, velvety, silky on the palate

CHATEAU ANGELUS 2006 – good spice, a little closed and still developing; mocha and red forest fruits; rich and creamy finish

CHATEAU ANGELUS 2009 – ripe stone fruit, sweet wood spice, mentholated, good structure, soft tannins; will give great longevity

LA FLEUR DE BOUARD 2005 – spicy, mentholated minty, light sarsaparilla, hawthorne

LA FLEUR DE BOUARD 2009 – forward fruit, red fruits and ripening stone fruit; soft tannins, fresh plum and nectarines with red forest berries; light minerality and earthly elements

LA FLEUR DE BOUARD 2010 – forward fruit, stone fruit, nectarines and red forest berries; spice and light sarsaparilla on the palate with medium tannins

As an ending note, I want to make mention of two things that also struck me that evening: It was a Bollinger Rose Non Vintage Champagne served that was dry, delicious, checking with very fine bubbles and showed great vivacity in its sparkle and petillance; I love the citrusy, red fruit flavors followed by light earthly and minerality notes.

Also, with the quick conversation with winemaker Hubert are the very few people that can say this of their wines (because of the excellent factors that contribute to the overall quality) – that “there are no bad vintages, just different ones”….

You can email me at: 

chefgenegonzalez@yahoo.com [1].