Château Angélus 2004

The 2004 vintage in Saint-Émilion

Vintage benchmark: 88/100 (appellation benchmark, not a score for this wine)

Vintage character: High yields and a dry back end to the season gave an honest, straightforward vintage, unremarkable but flawless.

Overall reading of the year’s season across Saint-Émilion. An estate can depart from it sharply, in frost or hail years, where two neighbours did not make the same vintage. What this particular wine actually gave is on its technical sheet and in the scores above.

Tasting

Slow maturation promotes the expression of finesse. Tasting reveals an opaque color and aromas of black fruits. The tannins are sumptuously refined. The balance and freshness express all the elegance of this vintage on the finish.

Blend of the 2004 vintage

Figures from the 2004 sheet

• 13 % vol.Alcohol
• 30 yrsVine age
• 90,000 bottlesProduction

Winemaking

Fermentation takes place in stainless steel, concrete and wood vats with a temperature regulation system (28 to 32°C). Maceration lasts 2 to 4 weeks.

Ageing

22 months in new French oak barrels (Merlot and part Cabernet franc) and in 30hl casks (Cabernet franc).

Terroir

At Château Angélus the vineyard lies in a natural amphitheatre, on the slope and lower slope on the southern side of Saint-Emilion, which concentrates warm summer temperatures and advances ripening. The soil is naturally drained by the gradient. The good balance between clay and limestone ensures a steady supply of water and minerals. The clay content, measured at between 8 and 20%, makes these soils warm and early-ripening. The rootstocks are perfectly suited to the terroir and the grape varieties are distributed according to the soils: Merlot on the slope (more clayey) and Cabernet Franc on the sandy clay-limestone soils of the lower slope.