Le Carillon d’Angélus 2025

Le Carillon d'Angélus is the second wine of Château Angélus, the noted Saint-Émilion estate whose bell emblem traces back to a chapel clock that once called the faithful to prayer. It is a blend of Merlot and Cabernet Franc grown on the limestone and clay slopes below the property, where the south-facing aspect ripens Merlot fully while the cooler clay holds freshness in the Cabernet Franc. The wine spends sixteen months in oak barrels, where slow oxygen exchange softens the tannins and adds a layer of cedar and toasted spice without overwhelming the fruit. It pours a deep ruby. The nose leads with blackberry and dark cherry, lifted by a subtle peppery spice, with cocoa and vanilla from the barrel behind. The palate is structured and supple at once, the Merlot lending plush dark fruit and the Cabernet Franc adding a savoury, faintly leafy edge and grip on the finish. Tannins are fine but present, framed by fresh acidity that keeps the weight in balance. Serve at sixteen to eighteen degrees, decanting an hour ahead for a young vintage. Good with roast beef, lamb or game.