You might hear Château Angelus before you see it. Three times a day, its tower’s 20 bells — the largest one weighing more than 1,500 pounds — can be heard far beyond the surrounding rolling Saint-Émilion, France, vineyards.
One of Bordeaux’s most prestigious wineries, Château Angelus recently unveiled a new cellar for its Grand Vin. The vault takes its cues from the sense of transcendence offered by cathedrals, with stepped walls of pale stone ringing outward in horizontal layers. Oculi are cut into the ceiling, from which 22 inverted bell-shaped vats of oak, stainless steel and concrete hang from above. You may be 23 feet underground, but your view is always pulled upward.
The striking design, from architect Olivier Chadebost (whose work includes the ultra-modern cellars of Chateau d’Yquem in Sauternes and Cheval Blanc in Saint-Émilion), isn’t just decorative — it enables a delicate infusion during the vinification process and slows the extraction of the estate’s signature cabernet franc and merlot grapes. The cellar opens with the 2026 vintage.
The Winery
The new addition continues Château Angelus’ use of religious imagery. The bell tower and the bell on every label are the obvious nods. The entrance pavilion is called the nave with an arched French oak ceiling featuring dramatic uplighting and lancet windows. The two reception areas are styled as confessionals.
In the nave, we had a tasting of the Carillon and Angelus, both from 2016. Consisting of 90% merlot and 10% cabernet franc, the juicy Carillon was bursting with black fruit, cherries and raspberries and soft tannins. The host poured Angelus from a bell-shaped decanter engraved with the logo and bell emblem. The excellent Angelus — 60% merlot and 40% cab franc, it’s the chateau’s most produced wine — was complex with spice, pepper, deep black fruit, chocolate and tobacco notes.
The most exclusive wine at Château Angelus is Hommage à Elisabeth Bouchet. President and CEO Stéphanie de Boüard-Rivoal’s great-grandfather Maurice de Boüard de Laforest planted cabernet franc vines for his wife, and they now account for 47% of the vineyard. The cuvée is named after her, and when it’s produced, it’s capped at 1,000 bottles.
Château Angelus is arguably the wine of choice for James Bond: it made cameos in Casino Royale, Spectre and No Time to Die. See one of the 225 limited-edition 007 Angelus Premier Grand Cru Classe magnums in a glass case in the nave.
The Family
Run by eight generations of the de Boüard de Laforest family, Château Angelus has been operating since 1782. Hubert de Boüard ran the estate for more than 30 years, racking up its highest accolades. His daughter, Stéphanie de Boüard-Rivoal, took over in 2012, the third woman to manage the house in its nearly 250-year history.
While de Boüard-Rivoal continues to produce the renowned wines, the former banker brought a sharp business eye to the operation. Aside from the new cellar, she converted the estate to organic farming and expanded the business into hospitality. In 2013, she acquired Le Logis de la Cadène, the oldest restaurant in Saint-Émilion, and added a four-suite inn, La Maison de la Cadène, in 2016, followed by the nearby L’Auberge de la Commanderie hotel in 2017. Then in 2019, she purchased the acclaimed restaurant Le Gabriel along the iconic Place de la Bourse in the city of Bordeaux.
Her next step in 2022 was adding a 22-acre farm in Saint-Loubès, about 20 miles west of Saint-Émilion, to grow vegetables, fruit and poultry for the restaurants. She named it La Ferme 1544 — the year pays homage to when the de Boüard family first settled in the region.
Another Taste
Without a VIP invitation to the winery itself, the next best thing is to enjoy lunch or dinner at Le Logis de la Cadène, three miles from the estate.
In the UNESCO-protected medieval village, a cobblestone street climbs to the hilltop restaurant, which dates to 1848. Purple wisteria blooms on the terrace pergola in the warmer months, while a salon with armchairs and a fireplace is an inviting spot for an aperitif when it’s cold.
In the modest wood-floored dining room with white walls painted with branches and birds, chef Thibaut Gamba highlights fresh local ingredients in his haute French cuisine. The prix fixe menu changes weekly, but a mainstay is an earthy mushroom tart with a velvety broth and crispy shell. Order it and the server will bring a bowl artfully showcasing the many mushrooms — including shiitake, oyster and lion’s mane — that grow in Château Angelus’ Saint-Émilion quarries near the vineyards.
The other courses, like roasted lamb saddle, are equally delicious. But don’t overlook the smaller bites, like the amuse bouche trio that arrives on a branch with beef tartare in oyster shells and caviar on pillows, delectable French wedges from the cheese cave and the chocolate mignardises on a metal vine that follow the maturation of grapes. We also loved the warm madeleines, cut tableside, doused with red wine from a mini-barrel and served with vanilla cream.
Of course, the meal will be incomplete without wines from the 1,000-plus bottle list. The sommelier can recommend the best Château Angelus Bordeaux pours to make the experience even more divine.
