CRITIC REVIEWS
Stephen Tanzer
(15.5 alcohol!): Good deep, bright ruby-red. Extravagantly rich aromas of black raspberry, blueberry, bitter chocolate and coconutty oak. Like liquid silk in the mouth, but with outstanding verve to the huge, palate-saturating flavors of blueberry, violet, espresso and minerals. This is almost too much of a good thing today in a Napa cult wine way, but the wine's molten, slowly building tannins and outstanding finishing power promise a long and glorious evolution in bottle.
Lisa Perrotti-Brown
The deep garnet colored 2010 Angelus is an atomic bomb of powerful fruit scents from the moment the cork is pulled! Boysenberries, stewed plums, blackcurrant cordial and black raspberries all burst from the glass, followed up by nuances of tar, star anise, mocha and unsmoked cigars plus a waft of camphor. The big, rich, full-bodied palate is built like a brick house, featuring super firm, ripe, grainy tannins and tons of freshness to support the taut, muscular black fruits, finishing very long and savory. It's starting to enter its drinking window, but based on this tasting, I would recommend waiting another 3-5 years before broaching and then drinking it over the next 40+ years.
JancisRobinson.com
This had one of the highest alcohol levels of all the wines in this tasting, if the other labels were telling the truth. Tasted blind. Opaque garnet with a touch of brick at the rim. Lightly smoky. On the palate, lots of dried fruit and a little bit leathery, deep and firmly textured but harmony in power. Mouth-watering finish and great length. A touch of heat at the very end. (JH)