Chateau Angludet, Margaux

Description

Chateau Angludet is wine estate located in the in the Margaux wine-growing appellation, in the commune of Cantenac on the left bank of the Gironde some 30 kms to the north-west of Bordeaux.

There have been vineyards at the site of Chateau since the beginning of the 17th Century. Angludet was split four ways in 1791 on the death of then owner Pierre Lagras and therefore did not feature in the 1855 Bordeaux Classification. The estate was consolidated into a single unit of 130 hectares, 55 under vine, by Jules Jadouin in 1891. In 1932, Château d’Angludet was one of six châteaux to be promoted to the rank of Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel. Through the 1900s the estate had varied fortunes and was bought by Diana and Peter Sichel in 1961. Maison Sichel is one of the most famous Bordeaux négociants and has been trading since 1883. Most recently, in 2003, the estate was classified as a Cru Bourgeois Supérieur, a classification which has been inactive since 2007.

Today Diana and Peter’s son Benjamin Sichel manages the estate and the vineyards cover some 32 hectares planted with 46% Cabernet Sauvignon, 41% Merlot and 13% Petit Verdot with a vine age of 25 years old. Chateau Angludet is situated on a broad plateau of Garonne gravel deposits which it shares with the neighbouring Grands Crus – Chateaux Cantenac, Palmer, de Tertre and Giscours.

Traditional vinification is carried out in cement vats. Vatting lasts for between 20 and 30 days, depending on the vintage and, after the malolactic fermentation, the wines go into barrel (one-third renewed every year) and remain there for 12 months. The final selection of which wines will go to make the final blend for Château Angludet is made in the following February or March. The process of selection is strict (as only the best wines can be included) and is done by a series of tastings. Once the final blend has been done, the wine is fined with egg whites and very lightly filtered before bottling.

Chateau Angludet 2012 is a blend of 48% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot and 12% Petit Verdot.

I notice that in 2008, Chateau Angludet lost a”d”, for many years I have known it as Chateau d’Angludet!