Château Angélus 1985
St-Emilion, Bordeaux, France
a legend because…
This was the year in which Hubert de Boüard de Laforest took over the running of this St-Emilion estate from his father and uncle. At this time there were only a few barrels in the Angélus cellars, and they had been introduced by de Boüard from 1981 onwards. Overall quality was lacklustre. De Boüard, an oenologist, set about changing all this, and in 2012 would see the promotion of Angélus to the dizzy heights of Premier Grand Cru Classé A, alongside Ausone, Cheval Blanc and Pavie.
Looking back
In the 1950s Angélus had been highly regarded and took its place as a grand cru classé. But in the 1960s and ’70s quality slumped, as it did almost everywhere in Bordeaux, due to high yields compounded by an absence of selection. Sorting the grapes, now routine at even the most humble property, was rare. De Boüard recalls the rows he had with his father Jacques when he introduced greenharvesting to reduce and concentrate the crop. He declared that either he was in charge or his father was. Hubert won. He also abandoned the use of fertilisers and returned to traditional barrel-ageing.
The vintage
Luck was on de Boüard’s side in that his debut vintage was 1985. The summer was the driest since 1961 and hotter than 1982. It was a large crop but the Merlot ripened perfectly after a very warm September. Quality was very high except where growers allowed yields to increase.
The terroir
The Angélus vineyards lie mostly on the slopes, rather than on St-Emilion’s famed limestone plateau. But in 1979 the estate bought 3ha from Château BeauséjourBécot, and this benefited the quality of the wine. There has always been a large proportion of Cabernet Franc – now about 47% – in the Angélus vineyards, which has contributed an aromatic lift and freshness, moderating the power of the very ripe Merlot. Merlot is planted on the higher parts of the property, near the limestone plateau, while the Cabernet Franc is on warm and well-drained slopes that suit the variety admirably.