Les Angelots de Gracia St. Emilion Bordeaux, Complete Guide

Everything about Les Angelots de Gracia St. Emilion wine producer profile, with wine tasting notes, wine and food pairings, best vintages, wine ratings, a history of the property, information on winemaking and terroir, along with wine tasting reviews. If you want to read about other important, Bordeaux Chateaux: Links to all Bordeaux Wine Producer Profiles

Les Angelots de Gracia History, Overview

Les Angelots de Gracia is a true Garage wine! That is because the wine is made right in the heart of the village of St. Emilion in a small space, located on a tiny back alley that is next to a working garage. The estate is owned by Michel Gracia who of course owns the better known, Chateau Gracia.

However, it’s important to note that Les Angelots de Gracia is not the second wine of Chateau Gracia. It is its own separate, unique, Right Bank wine that comes from its own terroir and soils.

The minute 1.26-hectare vineyard is situated between Chateau Angelus and Chateau Fonrazade. The original plan for this parcel of vines was to include it as part of Chateau Gracia. But after looking over the terroir, it was determined that this was a unique soil and terroir, so a new wine was created.

The idea for the first wine from Michel Gracia came about in 1994 when Michel Gracia purchased 1.5 hectares of vines in great terroir, not far from Troplong Mondot. At first, he sold the grapes to other producers.

Thanks to the continued prodding by Jean Luc Thunevin of Valandraud and Alain Vauthier of Ausone, he began producing his own wine with the 2007 vintage.

Les Angelots de Gracia Vineyards, Terroir, Grapes, Winemaking

The tiny, 1.5 hectare vineyard used for Les Angelots de Gracia is planted to 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc. The amount of effort required to produce the wine of Les Angelots de Gracia is impressive. But it all starts in the vineyards. The terroir is sand and clay soils on top of a layer of crasse de fer.

Similar to what takes place with Chateau Gracia, de Gracia Les Angelots is also produced with low yields. In 2009, the wine came from an astoundingly low, 12 hectoliters per hectare!

These are some of the lowest yields in all of Saint Emilion! The vinification takes place in a combination of small, dual-walled, insulated, stainless steel vats and cement tanks. The juice receives a 21 to 25-day maceration in temperature-controlled, stainless steel vats and Taransaud oak tanks. Malolactic fermentation takes place in 100% new, French oak barrels. The wine of Les Angelots de Gracia is aged in 100% new, French oak barrels.

The best vintages of Chateau Les Angelots de Gracia are: 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2012, 2010, 2009 and 2005.

As you can expect, not much wine is made as on average, there are less than 350 cases of wine produced here per vintage.

When to Drink Les Angelots de Gracia, Anticipated Maturity, Decanting Time

Les Angelots de Gracia needs some time before it can be enjoyed. Young vintages can be decanted for an average of 1-2 hours or more. This allows the wine to soften and open its perfume. Older vintages might need very little decanting, just enough to remove the sediment.

Les Angelots de Gracia is usually better with at least 5-7 years of bottle age. Of course, that can vary slightly, depending on the vintage character. Les Angelots de Gracia offers its best drinking and should reach peak maturity between 6-18 years of age after the vintage.

Serving Les Angelots de Gracia with Wine and Food Pairings

Les Angelots de Gracia is best served at 15.5 degrees Celsius, 60 degrees Fahrenheit. The cool, almost cellar temperature gives the wine more freshness and lift.

Les Angelots de Gracia is best paired with all types of classic meat dishes, veal, pork, beef, lamb, duck, game, roast chicken, roasted, braised, and grilled dishes. Les Angelots de Gracia is also good when matched with Asian dishes, rich fish courses like tuna, mushrooms, and pasta.