" After a mild, rainy winter and then spring frosts (which were mostly kept at bay), a very long, damp, rainy period put our teams under stress. Several outbreaks of downy mildew occurred and were particularly difficult to control bearing in mind our ongoing conversion to organic farming.

Summer was long in coming, and doubts set in. In mid-August, summer finally arrived, and a period of fine weather set in and lasted beyond the picking of the Cabernet. After the intense work carried out in the vineyard and then the arrival at last of those favourable conditions for grape ripening, there was renewed optimism in the camp.
Though nothing could be done to recover the quantities we had lost, we gradually saw the grapes ripen, the skins thicken and the taste of the berries develop delicious fruit flavour.

The first of the Merlot was brought in on 20th September and showed subtle, balanced juices with lots of fruit character and freshness. The Cabernet, having made the most of the excellent weather conditions (which lasted until 15th October), was harvested at the beginning of October. The first tastings after the vinification revealed wines with attractive colour and real fruit character. Tannins were quite abundant; however, these were perfectly managed during the extraction, ensuring the smoothness and tenderness that are characteristic of the wines of Château Angelus. 

The long, delicate finish on the palate is marked by the high percentage of Cabernet Franc (60%), which has left its special stamp on this really "unexpected’ vintage!".