Château Angélus has released its new 100% Cabernet Franc cuvée for €650 per bottle. It has already received rapturous praise from Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW.
- This is the first release of Château Angélus, Hommage à Elisabeth Bouchet.
- Just 1,200 bottles were produced of the 2016.
- It has been rated 100-points in The Wine Advocate.
Château Angélus, Hommage a Elisabeth Bouchet 2016 has been released at €650 per bottle ex-négociant. The wine is being distributed via eight selected merchants in Bordeaux.
“Hommage à Elisabeth Bouchet” is a 100% Cabernet Franc from some of the oldest vines at Angélus. The cuvée will only be made in “exceptional” years and is a new addition to the autumn La Place release schedule.
The 2016, 2018 and 2019 vintages have so far been produced. The 2016 is the first release of the new cuvée from the leading Bordeaux estate. Only 1,200 bottles and a few larger format bottles were made.
Critical opinion
Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW (The Wine Advocate) rated the 2016 100-points, saying it was a “masterpiece”.
“That this estate has managed to craft such a complete, jaw-dropping beauty entirely from Cabernet Franc is a triumph and, I hope, not the last of its kind,” she added.
In her report, she also explained that “Angélus has taken their passion for this notoriously difficult grape to a whole other level”.
Other major critics are yet to score the wine yet.
The secondary market view
A release price of €650 per bottle ex-négociant for the cuvée represents a substantial premium to Château Angélus’ normal En Primeur releases. The 2020 wine from Angélus (LPB 98-100, 40% Cabernet Franc and 60% Merlot), for instance, was offered at €260 per bottle ex-négociant.
This is the first release of the old vine Cabernet Franc cuvée – and Angélus has been on an uptrend of late. Its index has risen 7.5% in the past year. Angélus also rose from 44th to 34th place in the 2020 Power 100 rankings – a list of the most powerful fine wine brands.
The wine fell into the second tier of the 2021 Liv-ex Classification, however, with an average trade price of £2,777 per case.
