Chateau Angludet

Chateau Angludet


Angludet is many people’s touchstone Margaux, unforced and perfumed. It is a former Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel, though the Sichel family who own it no longer choose to present it to the Cru Bourgeois classification. The chateau is set in a bucolic stretch of south-west Margaux, 3 kilometres inland from the river. It owes its roots to a 12th century knight, Bertrand of Angludet, who build his house here. Vines were probably first planted in the 17th century. It looked like that was finally over after the great frost of 1956, when the extreme winter cold killed most of the vines. The then-owner began replanting the vineyards to wheat and barley.

Peter Sichel bought Angludet in 1961, when there were fewer than 7 hectares still under vine. The Sichel family were (and still very much are) important Bordeaux negociants, and they have a large stake in Chateau Palmer. Over the years, they have invested generous sums of money getting Angludet back into shape. They started by replanting the vineyards, so there are some 34 hectares under vine now. They added more Petit Verdot. They completely renovated and modernised the cellar and winemaking facilities. These days, the vineyard is planted to 46 per cent Cabernet Sauvignon, 41 per cent Merlot and 13 per cent Petit Verdot. The terroir is a mix of sand, clay and gravel. It is cool terroir, and it’s not always as easy to achieve ripeness here as in estates nearer the river. winemaker Ben Sichel says that homogeneous ripeness is the first goal of his farming techniques. Recent vintages have also seen the estate suffer badly from hail and frost.

Ben took over as technical director and winemaker in 1989, and has lived on-site since then. He likes to joke that the decision to go entirely over to biodynamics was as much about his own health as that of the vineyard (although he may have had second thoughts given the extra work involved). And after exhaustive trials in 2018, he has invested heavily in amphorae. It has brought an extra dimension of fresh elegance to the final wine. He argues that the exact proportion of wine he chooses to raise in amphorae will depend on the character of the vintage, with the balance going into a mix of new and old barrels. (NT 16/08/23)

Vintage Description Cs Sz Bt Sz Cs Bts Cs ib Cs inc Bt inc
2020 young Angludet (Margaux)
default
3x 150cl 1 0 £156.00 £206.44 £78.95 Buy
2020 young Angludet (Margaux)
default
1x 300cl 1 0 £135.00 £175.00 £175.00 Buy