Angelus: An Unsettling Silence in St. Émilion

A brief reminder: After a classification was introduced in St. Émilion in 1955 – exactly 100 years after that of the Médoc – two estates stood alone at the top for more than 50 years: Ausone and Cheval Blanc. When the list, which is renewed every ten years, was revised in 2012, two more châteaux appeared in the rank of Premier Grand Cru Classé A: Angelus and Pavie. This decision of the commission appointed by the INAO was much commented on, and indeed, taken to court, since Angelus owner Hubert de Boüard was a member of the very committee that had decided to upgrade his winery. At the end of October last year, de Boüard was sentenced by a court and fined €40,000 because of this conflict of interest. Boüard did not appeal.