Château Angélus

The de Boüard de Laforest family has owned the property since 1782. Stéphanie de Boüard-Rivoal, who runs it today, is the eighth generation.

The name comes from the Angelus, the prayer that marked the day with the ringing of a bell. The label has always carried a bell, and in time the bell became the emblem of the house.

It was made Grand Cru Classé in 1954 and in September 2012 was raised to Premier Grand Cru Classé A, the top rank of Saint-Émilion.

And here something needs explaining that old labels do not say. In January 2022 Angélus withdrew from the Saint-Émilion classification. It was not alone: Cheval Blanc and Ausone had done so in July 2021. Of the four Premier Grand Cru Classé A estates recognised in the 2012 classification, three left and only Château Pavie remains within it. The house argued that the system had become a source of antagonism and instability.

In other words: a bottle from before 2022 carries on its label a mention the property no longer puts itself forward for. The wine is the same; what changed was the ranking.

A little over forty hectares, of which some twenty-seven held the A classification. They are planted with 50% merlot, 47% cabernet franc and 3% cabernet sauvignon: that share of cabernet franc is very high even for Saint-Émilion.