Chateau Angelus Premier Grand Cru, St Emilion 2008

The 2008 was another challenging vintage after the 2007. May and June saw cold, wet weather that continued right through the summer into early September with many of grapes suffering from mildew and ripening very uneven. Many vintners held their collective breath yet feared for a disaster. As often occurs in Bordeaux, September was saved as sunny and dry weather took over for the remainder of the month. Harvest was quite late with yields low and only wineries with deep resources could work hard enough to select the best grapes and make good wine. Chateau Angelus, run by the always cerebral and dedicated Hubert de Bouard, is one of those estates that carefully navigated the bumpy road, producing one of the outstanding wines of the vintage. Juicy, framed with freshness and retaining classic notes of black cherry, black currant, along with dark plum, and underbrush and superbly balanced sweet tannins, this is a wine that offers up energy and a wonderful spine of acidity. Unlike the “bigger“ vintages such as 2005, 2009 & 2010, the ’08 is begging to enjoyed now but should age effortlessly for two decades.