Chateau Angelus 1993

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "In the new classification of St.-Emilion, justice was certainly served with the elevation of Angelus to premier grand cru classe status. No Bordeaux estate has been making as concentrated and consistently high quality wines as has Angelus since 1988. Even in the rain-plagued vintage of 1992, Angelus produced a wine of uncommon power, ripeness, and intensity. This estate is in many ways symbolic of what heights Bordeaux can achieve when a property is managed by someone as passionate and driven as Hubert de Bouard. As I have been writing for the last decade, these are wines to buy at first release; they can only go up in price given their quality. One of the four or five most concentrated wines of the vintage, this opaque, black/purple-colored 1993 offers an intensely fragrant nose of smoke, olives, chocolate, black fruits, hickory, and sweet, spicy oak. Amazingly rich and full-bodied, with massive extract, it is almost unbelievable that this wine could have been produced in a vintage such as 1993. Give it 3-4 years of cellaring, and drink it over the following 15-18 years."

WEINWISSER: "Aufhellendes Purpur-Granat, grosser Wasserrand. Würziges Bouquet, Rauchtöne, schwarze Oliven, Backpflaumen, auch eine grünliche Frische dahinter zeigend. Im Gaumen mittelgewichtig, sehr feine Tannine, immer noch Spuren von Johannisbeeren im feinen Extrakt, getrocknete Pflaumenschalen im Finale, jetzt sehr viel Spass machend."

WINE SPECTATOR: "As outstanding as we remember from barrel. Ripe and seductive, a full-bodied St.-Emilion that stands out for this vintage. Oozes with plum, red berry, chocolate, tobacco and smoke flavors. Beautiful texture, elegant tannins and an impressive finish. Best after 1998. 9,583 cases made."