(14.45% alcohol; 62% merlot and 38% cabernet franc; not yet racked) Deep ruby. Saturated bright ruby. Wonderfully pure aromas of dark berries, licorice, violet and tobacco leaf. Uncharacteristically generous on the attack for an infant Angelus, then silky, lush and sweet in the middle, with lovely floral lift to the superconcentrated dark berry and bitter chocolate flavors. The very fine tannins arrive late, allowing the fruit, floral and mineral components to expand. Elevage should bring even more length. Wonderfully detailed and refined for a young Angelus. This really refreshes the mouth. This should be approachable within a few years after its releases but will evolve in bottle for two decades or more.

Following the stunning fragrance of acacia flowers, blueberries, espresso and graphite, this prodigious wine hits the palate with amazing blue and black fruits, sweet tannin, a full-bodied mouthfeel, incredible purity, texture and length. Little is left to chance or imagination in this compelling effort. It is a quintessential style of l'Angélus, only more concentrated and dense than usual. The tannins are sweet and well-integrated, so this is a wine that one can drink despite its infancy at age 10, but it will keep for 40-50 years.

Beautifully focused notes of figs and ripe fruit on the nose, this is very perfumed. A lot of material in this wine, the center palate is incredible, lasting for minutes. This is full-bodied and super silky with fine tannins. A pinpointed ball of fruit, think lychee, and hints of chocolate on the finish. Leave this for six to eight years, should be about right in 2018.

Angélus has both beautiful richness and shape in 2005, the sensual touch people hope to find in merlot that it so rarely and exquisitely delivers. The spice, the beeswax, the chocolate and black fruit are all there, but the focus is on the wine's subtle power, not any particular flavor. This had appeared black and superripe en primeur. Now there's a dark, earthy vibration in the tannin, a reverberation in the middle that touches senses beyond taste. This should live for decades.

93-95 Barrel sample. A spicy, densely sweet wine, all ripe purple fruits bursting out of a straitjacket of tannins, with the wood flavors quite dominant at this stage. The wine is firm, but the fruit is so big that the dryness is lost.