The Society's 150th Anniversary Margaux 2015

This cru bourgeois Margaux estate certainly has a long history: named after Bertrand d’Angludet, who owned the land here as far back as the 12th century, there are records of vines being planted here in the 1600s. However, a string of unfortunate circumstances and some less-than-careful owners took its toll, and it had been reduced to just seven hectares of vines by the time Peter and Diana Sichel rescued the property in 1961.

Peter and Diana’s talented family has been in the wine trade since 1893, when it founded Maison Sichel, the Bordeaux négociant whose winemaker is behind The Society’s Claret. The company is now run by Peter and Diana’s five sons, the sixth generation of the family to be involved, and also has a significant share in third-growth Margaux property Château Palmer.

Angludet, which changed its name from d’Angludet in 2008, now has 32 hectares under vine, with an average age of 25 years. This is in part thanks to the careful replanting programme of Benjamin Sichel, who became involved in his parents’ property in 1989, and who now manages both the viticulture and winemaking here.

Located in the commune of Arsac, towards the south of Margaux, the vines are planted on Garonne gravel just 3km away from the Gironde estuary. 55% of the plantings are cabernet sauvignon, 35% are merlot and the remaining 10% are petit verdot. The grapes are harvested by machine and fermented in concrete tanks before spending 12 months in oak barrels, a quarter of which are renewed each year.

Maturing varies from vintage to vintage. In good years, it is worth waiting seven to 20 years, but in lighter vintages you can start drinking the wine after three or four. Angludet has become a consistent favourite of members of The Society, who have been following it regularly since 1979, and watching it improve and develop. Under Benjamin’s careful handling, the vintages of the 21st century have been consistently successful, and have remained good value for wine drinkers.