Carillon d' Angélus 2022 en Primeur

A very fresh and vivid red with crunchy and bright character. Citrus rind as well. Medium-bodied. Fine taninned with a vivid finish. Precise.

The true second wine of this reference point estate is the 2022 Carillon De Angélus, which is 90% Merlot and 5% each of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc that’s resting in 60% new barrels. It has beautiful cassis and almost blue-tinged fruits as well as medium to full body, nicely integrated oak, some spicy, graphite, and floral nuances, ripe tannins, and a great finish. It doesn't taste like a second wine and will give many a Grand Vin a run for their money.

Scented red berries on the nose, creamy, floral, perfumed, juicy and fresh, with savoury herbal aspects too. Sleek and so refined, this is fresh and captivating but with weight and density. Mouthwatering acidity gives the life and the spark straight away, with firm but fresh and cool tannins supporting the fruit, present but not too much, giving the frame and the nuance. Tannin management is excellent with blue fruits, liquorice and subtle sweet tobacco notes. Bright, shining and sleek, this is both juicy and layered, mineral and fruity, while retaining freshness and bite. Leaves a lingering impression and has great ageing potential.

Unfurling in the glass with notions of raspberries, red plums, sweet soil tones and truffle, the 2022 Le Carillon d'Angélus is medium to full-bodied, fleshy and vibrant, with powdery tannins and a long, saline finish. As readers will remember, this bottling is no longer a "second wine" per se, but rather draws on some 25 hectares of dedicated vineyards, emphasizing Merlot from the cool terroirs of Saint-Christophe-des-Bardes, complemented by holdings in the gravelly Figeac sector and on clay soils near Angélus itself—with anything that doesn't make the cut relegated to the No. 3 d'Angélus.