Angelus 2015

62% Merlot and 38% Cabernet Franc, 100% new oak
The 2015 Angelus is a blend of 62% Merlot and 38% Cabernet Franc, picked from 22 September finishing on 14 October. "We found a nice homogeneity with the Merlot lots," I was told when I visited. "The old Cabernet Franc was very nice, but the younger vines were blended into the second label. This year, it is especially the Merlot that lends a lot of harmony to the wine. This year, the Merlot have some of the qualities of the Cabernet Franc, the precision and freshness. They give the generosity and sweetness." The wine was aged in 100% new oak at 11 degrees Celsius so they could add less sulfur to keep the freshness of the aromas and maintain the elegance of the wine. It offers a complex array of aromas such as black cherry, camphor, oyster shells and Japanese nori, beautifully defined and very focused. The palate is medium-bodied but powerful with layer of svelte tannins and a keen thread of acidity; layers of black fruit laced with spices, baking powder, mint and white pepper. It feels long in the mouth, insistently clinging for a minute after the wine has departed. Oh là là. This is a sexy, but compelling Angelus, fit for "007" and wine-lovers everywhere. NEAL MARTIN, erobertparker

Readers will have to be very patient with the 2015 Angélus. Massively tannic and forbidding, Angélus is one of the most reticent, unyielding 2015s I tasted. The high percentage of Cabernet Franc, the approach to extraction, aging in the cellar - which involves minimal racking and low S02 - and slightly late bottling are some of the factors that result in a huge, powerful, impenetrable wine at this stage. Even so, the 2015 exudes concentration and depth. Time in the glass brings out some of the wine's unctuousness, but it will be at least a decade before the 2015 is ready to deliver true drinking pleasure. ANTONIO GALLONI