Whispering Angel 2025 - Matthew Jukes
Happy 20th Birthday Whispering Angel & Friends
It has passed in a flash, these last twenty years. I remember Sacha Lichine telling me of his Provençal dream when he was still based in Bordeaux, and I had no reason to doubt he would make a go of it, given his energy and vision. But I don’t think anyone, aside from perhaps Sacha, could have imagined it would change the world in the way in which Whispering Angel and the phenomenal estate wines from Château d’Esclans have done. To date, there are countless imitators, and some make decent wines, but there is only one original, and it is fitting that this 20th-anniversary release is delicious, and that the ‘Grands Crus’, which are celebrated by the great and the good, are utterly stunning. Chapeau.
It is fitting that the perfume here forms a veritable fanfare of glorious white peach, rhubarb, melon rind and pomegranates on the nose. And then, as if by magic, an invisible conductor ushers the audience to their seats, and, on command, the flavours seep onto the palate and rise gradually until every taste bud is immersed in gloriously refreshing, silky fruit. And then the flavours recede, leaving you with a feeling of monastic calm. You momentarily snap back to attention and repeat. Happy Birthday indeed, and it will last all year. 18/20
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