I tasted this three separate times, and on two occasions I thought it had the potential to be a perfect wine. The home estate of Hubert de Bouard, this 62+ acre vineyard produced a 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Franc blend in 2009, with yields of 20 hectoliters per hectare, and a whopping alcohol degree of 14.5%. Of course, the latter component is not even noticeable, as that is one of the erroneous myths about high alcohol in some 2009 Bordeaux. It just doesn’t show, thanks to the wine’s extraordinary concentration. This is a fabulous wine, with that tell-tale, dense, inky blue color that Angelus always seems to achieve. It displays an extraordinary nose of acacia flowers (or is it violets?) intermixed with blueberry liqueur, black raspberries, cassis, licorice, incense, and graphite. Full-bodied, viscous, with great intensity, vibrancy, and transparency, this is one of the all-time great wines from Angelus and a 21st century version of their 1989 and 1990. It should drink well for 20+ years – at the very minimum. (Tasted three times.)
96-100 points, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate #188 (APR 2010)
Rich and rather stolid now, this features a wall of roasted apple wood and charcoal flavors in front of the dense core of black Mission fig, steeped black currant fruit and espresso notes. Extremely dense on the finish, but the inlaid spice and tobacco hints are there just beneath the surface, needing only extended cellaring to emerge fully. One of the larger-scaled efforts of the vintage. Best from 2018 through 2035.
96 Points, Wine Spectator (2012)
(60% merlot and 40% cabernet franc; pH 3.77; 14.5% alcohol; IPT 92) Deep purple. Very deep, enticing aromas of cassis, blackberry liqueur, dark chocolate and violet, with some oaky torrefaction notes of espresso and mocha; seems a bit more merlot-dominated than usual. The palate boasts outstanding intensity and freshness to the black fruit and smoky oak flavors, with a firm spine of acidity giving the wine necessary backbone. Finishes horizontal and long, with building, youthfully aggressive but ripe tannins. In a modern, extractive style, but with much better grip, focus and verve than many other similarly made wines. It's hard to believe, but this is the 25th anniversary vintage for talented owner Hubert de Bouard, who is increasingly in demand across the Bordeaux region as a winemaking consultant.
92-95 Points, Ian D'Agata, Stephen Tanzer's Int'l Cellar (May 2010) | 
