Château
Château Angélus
The Saint-Émilion estate with a bell on its label, in the de Boüard de Laforest family since 1782, which plants Cabernet Franc almost as heavily as Merlot and walked out of the classification in January 2022.
- Appellation
- Saint-Émilion Grand Cru
- On Instagram
- @chateauangelus
The estate
Angélus lies at the foot of the Saint-Émilion slope, a south-facing natural amphitheater about 1 km from the town’s tower, within earshot of the bells of 3 churches. In the 19th century this ground was printed as Mazerat: Saint-Martin de Mazerat is 1 of the communes that William Franck, whose Traité sur les vins du Médoc first appeared in 1824, folded into the name Saint-Émilion in his editions of 1845 and 1853, and a survey of the Libourne wines of 1897 lists 5 separate holdings there, 1 of them in the same family since 1610. The name Angélus came only in 1920, when the family added a parcel of 3 hectares called l’Angelus, and the bell has been on the label since.
Jean de Boüard de Laforest settled in Saint-Émilion in 1782. The 8th generation, Stéphanie de Boüard-Rivoal, has run the estate since 2012, with her father Hubert, an oenologist, and Jean-Bernard Grenié, co-director since 1987. Angélus was a Grand Cru Classé in the first classification, the decree of October 7, 1954 followed by the list of June 16, 1955, and was raised to Premier Grand Cru Classé A in 2012. On January 5, 2022 it withdrew from the classification, and it holds no rank in the list of 2022.
The vineyard, about 30 hectares, is sandy clay and limestone at the foot of the hill and heavier clay higher up, and its planting is unusual for the commune: 50% Merlot, 47% Cabernet Franc and 3% Cabernet Sauvignon, vines 38 years old on average, for about 90,000 bottles. Carillon d’Angélus, the second wine, dates from 1987; N°3 d’Angélus is a Saint-Émilion, and Tempo d’Angélus, from 2019, a Bordeaux. The 2012 was bottled without a paper label, its lettering in gold relief on the glass, and the Chai Carillon of 2019 works by gravity, with 18 vats shaped as inverted truncated cones.
I tasted the 2025 at the estate in April 2026, in its newly renovated cellars, and ripeness, structure and polish were already in place: a complete wine at the very start of its life. Tempo sits at the other end of the house. The 2023, which I tasted in January 2026, is supple and fruit-forward, fresh red and dark berries with a touch of spice, made to be poured without ceremony.
At a glance
- Appellation
- Saint-Émilion Grand Cru
- Commune
- Saint-Émilion, at the foot of the slope
- Classification
- Premier Grand Cru Classé A in 2012; withdrew on January 5, 2022; MICHELIN Guide, 2 grapes (2026)
- Owners
- The de Boüard de Laforest family, since 1782
- Direction
- Stéphanie de Boüard-Rivoal, since 2012; Jean-Bernard Grenié, co-director, since 1987
- Vineyard
- About 30 hectares; vines 38 years old on average
- Ground
- Sandy clay and limestone at the foot of the slope, more clay above
- Grapes
- Merlot 50%, Cabernet Franc 47%, Cabernet Sauvignon 3%
- Cellar
- The Chai Carillon of 2019: 18 vats, worked by gravity
- Production
- About 90,000 bottles
- Wines
- Château Angélus; Carillon d’Angélus; N°3 d’Angélus; Tempo d’Angélus
Sources: Château Angélus, the property · Château Angélus, a signature · Château Angélus, the wines · Château Angélus, 2012, le premier · Conseil des Vins de Saint-Émilion, the estate’s register · INAO, the Saint-Émilion classification of 2022 · Guto Assumpção on Instagram, Château Angélus 2025, April 22, 2026 · Guto Assumpção on Instagram, Tempo d’Angélus 2023, January 19, 2026
The record
Château Angélus withdrew from the Saint-Émilion classification on January 5, 2022 and holds no rank in the current list. It was a Premier Grand Cru Classé A under the classification of 2012.
The Saint-Émilion classification is revised about every 10 years and estates apply to enter it. The current list was announced on September 8, 2022 and made law on December 15, 2022.
In the MICHELIN Guide’s first Bordeaux selection, announced on September 8, 2026, it took 2 grapes of a possible 3, 1 of 16 estates at that mark.
Sources: Decanter, January 5, 2022 · INAO, the Saint-Émilion classification · The MICHELIN Guide, Bordeaux grape selection
Cru Classé
By invitation only.
Tastings
1
In the news
5
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Meet the CEO Bringing New Flair to the Historic Château Angélus Bordeaux Estate
de Boüard-Rivoal is the first woman in 8 generations to lead Château Angelus in Saint-Émilion. As managing director, she leads a team of 170 people.
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Château Angélus and its second wine, Carillon d'Angélus, are released en primeur, priced above last year's campaign. Lynch-Bages, Lascombes, Talbot and Lafaurie-Peyraguey were also released.
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Is your fine wine a fake? How wax and DNA can outfox the impostors
Château Angélus is tackling fine-wine fraud with a wax seal that incorporates a vine’s unique genetic code to authenticate bottles.
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The Premiers Grands Crus Classés and 'stars' of Saint-Émilion
After 2 years of élevage, Terre de Vins names Ausone, Cheval Blanc and Angélus among the standout 2023 Saint-Émilion properties and comments on the Premiers Grands Crus Classés. It says the uneven vintage offers informed consumers more accessible successes than 2022.
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This Left Bank Bordeaux Rivals the World’s Best Merlots
Arjen Pen’s Marpaout 2022, the first vintage of his Left Bank Bordeaux, held its own alongside Petrus, Masseto, Angélus and Le Macchiole’s Messorio at a private tasting in Dubai in May 2025, according to Robb Report. The wine’s regional allocation then sold out.
On from here
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