Bordeaux Wine Enthusiasts

I haven't tried it, but have a case, and am looking to fund some other purchases...it sells for fancy money these days...has anyone tried recently or at all? I have had the 1994 and 1995 in the last two years and wasn't very keen on either...it is about £2000 a case in the UK, and I reckon I can do better.

Thoughts appreciated.

I haven't had the 1996 but it reportedly has a much higher percentage of Cabernet Franc than other vintages.

It is a real dilemma when wines escalate so much you wonder if you can afford to drink them.

Sell. At $250/bottle you can get better wine, but if you don't have any '89 Angelus I'd certainly use some proceeds to find a couple bottles -- even at today's cost, that is great wine. And don't forget about 1990 Leoville Poyferre -- wow!

--Gary Rust

My vote is to sell...

If not keen on Angelus, since the price is good, why not sell and get some stuff that you know you would enjoy more? Like mixed case of some of older classic vintages of 80s or 90s etc... Just my 2 cents...

Guys I agree with you 100%. You get to know what you like and you tend to become ruthless in discarding what you don't particularly care for.

But has anyone here actually tried this wine? CT reviews are pretty divided.

Gary I lurv the 1989...I think it is one of the wines of the vintage...but it is pushing $500 a bottle here. I find the more recent vintages to have much less character.

I think what has happened is that prices have risen with Angelus's elevation to equal status with Cheval Blanc and Ausone. Whether that is justified or not is of course another matter but nevertheless a moot point.

Fwiw one wine I am buying is Chateau Margaux 2001, full funded with sales of other wines. The dirty little secret. In my opinion, and in Paul Pontallier's opinion too, it is one of the best wines CM has produced and it is already drinking sublimely.

To each his own for sure. FWIW, 2001 Margaux sells for $500 here, but I for one (maybe the only one) would never pay close to that for it.

--Gary Rust

RDD wrote: It is a real dilemma when wines escalate so much you wonder if you can afford to drink them.

Angelus is one of my right bank favorites, but 2006 was the last vintage I bought -- it's gotten crazy expensive, along with most of my other favorites Still holding onto a lone bottle of the 1990, which was amazing last time I had it.

pomilion wrote:

RDD wrote: It is a real dilemma when wines escalate so much you wonder if you can afford to drink them.

Angelus is one of my right bank favorites, but 2006 was the last vintage I bought -- it's gotten crazy expensive, along with most of my other favorites Still holding onto a lone bottle of the 1990, which was amazing last time I had it.

I think I still half 1/2 case of 1989/1990 stashed.
L'Angelus ( L' was dropped in early 1990's) was not very expensive back then.
I have some 1998 but that was the last year I bought.

I bought a few bottles of '90 and '89 Angelus in the early-mid 90s for $45-$60 when I was paying $25-$35 for Grand Puy Lacoste, Lynch Bages, Pichon Baron, etc. at the same time (those were the days). Angelus was never cheap -- they don't make a lot of it compared to the likes of many Medoc wines. I bought some 2004 Angelus for around $120 and haven't tried any, but I'm sure it won't rival the likes of '89/90.

--Gary Rust

I thought long and hard about this and Gary I think you are right. As luck would have it the source of the Chateau Margaux also has Angelus 1989. So I converted half the Margaux 01 into Angelus 89. Two very different wines, both extraordinary in their own ways.

Audrey Hepburn vs. Jayne Mansfield.

Good choice, Ian. Both the 1989 Angelus and the 2001 Chateau Margaux are extraordinary wines. I've had the 1996 Angelus several times in the past and enjoyed it very much (probably a solid 92 point wine to my taste). I think I paid $60 to $75 for the bottles and while I thought they were worth it (relatively), there is no way I would pay $150 for another bottle and it certainly isn't worth $250.

Chris Bublitz