One of Pomerol's first vineyards
The Léglise family from Libourne foundedthe property that was to become Château L’Évangile. They were activelyinvolved, around the middle of the 18th century, in the creation of Pomerol’svineyards. L’Évangile appeared in the 1741 land registry under the name ofFazilleau.
At the turn of the 19th century, theestate was already close to its current configuration, stretching over some 13hectares, when it was sold to a lawyer named Isambert. He renamed the estate“L’Évangile”. In 1862, L’Évangile was purchased by Paul Chaperon, whose descendants,the Ducasse family, remained the property’s owners until 1990. Paul Chaperoncontinued to build the estate’s reputation and constructedL’Évangile’s residence in the style of the Second Empire. In the secondedition of Cocks Féret in 1868, L’Évangile is listed as a “Premier Cru duHaut-Pomerol”.
Upon the death of Paul Chaperon in 1900,his descendants ran the estate until 1957, when Louis Ducasse took over theproperty, which was by then in decline and had been damaged by the frost in1956. He managed to replant the vineyard and eventually restored L’Évangile toits former glory. In 1982, his widow, Simone Ducasse, continued the family’srole in running the estate.
In 1990, Domaines Barons de Rothschild(Lafite) acquired L’Évangile from the Ducasse family with a view toensuring that the property was looked after to the same high standard. DBR(Lafite)’s initial influence included a more refined selection of the GrandVin, and the creation of Blason de L’Évangile as a second wine. Efforts werealso undertaken to improve the vineyard with a restoration and partial renewalplan that was launched in 1998. The complete renovation of the vat room and thecellar, which was finished in 2004, completed the property’s new configuration.
The Vineyard
Through a mystery of geology, the southeastPomerol plateau features a long line of surface gravel. Three vineyards,including L’Évangile, share this rare soil. The property occupies a verystrategic position. It is bordered to the north by Château Pétrus, and isseparated from Cheval Blanc in Saint-Emilion to the south by nothing more thana secondary road.
The vineyard covers 22 hectares, madeup of sandy clay soil with pure gravel, on a subsoil containing iron residues.The grape varieties consist of Merlot (80%) which contributes to the wine’s fruityflavour and body, and its unmistakable suppleness; and “Bouchet”, the localname for Cabernet Franc (20%), which brings finesse and structure. Traditionaltechniques are used. Production is limited and the harvests are carried out byhand, as are numerous other tasks in the vineyard throughout the year.
The vineyard is managed by OlivierTrégoat, Technical Director of Château Rieussec,Château L’Evangile, Château Paradis Casseuil and Long Dai.
The Cellars
The vat room and cellars were rebuilt in2004 to make them better suited to plot selection. The grapes from eachplot are separated into batches in order to judge their potential for use inthe Grand Vin at the end of fermentation.
Traditional and modern winemaking methodsare closely associated in all of the winery’s operations. Fermentation invats is carried out using the traditional method of pumping over and controlledmaceration, with frequent tasting. Once fermentation is completed, the wine ismatured in oak barrels for 18 months.
Vintages 2016
The year began with mild, rainy weather,and then gradually, as the months passed, proved to be exceptional.
The winter of 2016 was the warmest and rainiest ever recorded! Bud break tookplace at the end of March and mid-flowering was on 5 June. The summer was hotand very dry. Fortunately, the water reserves accumulated during the winterenabled the vines not to suffer any stress, but as a result yields at Evangilewere quite low for this vintage. The grapes finished ripening in September inclement weather, with a little rain and cool nights, preserving the grapes’freshness and producing an exceptional vintage.
🏅JamesSuckling 99pts
So ethereal and great on the nose withglorious fresh flowers, such as violets, together with black olives. Darkberries, too. But the archetypal Pomerol nose. Full-bodied yet, at the sametime, so refined and structured. Glorious tannin tension and focus. Vibrantfinish. Shows energy and focus.
🏅Decanter98pts
For me, this is going to be every bit asgreat as the 1989, and is a worthy follower to the 2015. It's tight andreserved on the nose, with powerhouse Pomerol Merlot lurking behind. There's acreamy side to the raspberry and blackberry fruits in the mouth, and the powerand intensity tells you that this wine has an amazing future. The texture issilky-smooth, attesting to great freshness balanced by well-ripened fruits andseductive tannins.
🏅Jeb Dunnuck98pts
The grand vin 2016 Château L'Evangile ismore primordial than the second wine, sporting a deep purple color and a hugenose of blueberries, scrub brush, violets, graphite, and lead pencil shavings.Deep, massively textured, with building minerality, a brilliant mid-palate, I'dimagine this is a modern-day version of the 1982.
🏅WineAdvocate 97pts
The 2016 L'Evangile is made from 92% Merlotand 8% Cabernet France. It has a deep garnet-purple color and opens withnotions of plum preserves, Black Forest cake, red cherry compote and blackraspberries with touches of menthol, chocolate box, licorice and tobacco leaf.Medium to full-bodied, the palate features fantastically ripe, velvety tanninsand beautiful freshness, lifting the generous, brightly fruited mid-palate andgiving bags of energy to the very long-lingering, minerally finish.
🏅TimAtkin 97pts
The balance of this wine was hard to getright, according to Jean-Pascal Vazart, but it doesn’t show on the nose or thepalate. Using half of the normal percentage of Cabernet Franc, it’s a fine,sculpted, elegantly poised wine with a winning combination of texture, ripefruit and balancing acidity.
🏅Vinous96pts
The 2016 L'Évangile is just as captivatingfrom bottle as it was from barrel. Huge and explosive in the glass, the 2016possesses stunning depth and textural resonance. At first a bit somber, the2016 needs time in the glass to open up. Once that happens, all the elementsfall into place in an effortless, gracious wine. Floral overtones add brightessto the dark cherry, chocolate, leather and spice flavors, while silky tanninsround things out in style. Jean-Pascal Vazart describes 2016 as a late year.Harvest started on September 26, about ten days later than normal. The 2016spent 16 months in French oak, 85% new.
🏅WineSpectator 96pts
Features a wide swath of espresso, loam andsmoldering tobacco flavors out front, followed by a tighter beam of blackcurrant and blackberry paste. Dense and fleshy in feel, with echoes of warmearth and bittersweet cocoa scoring the finish. This wine flaunts its muscle.
🏅JancisRobinson 17.5/20
Extremely deep colour. Very intense,concentrated wine. Sweet start. Very muscular. Almost like cassis cordial!Massive 14.5% alcohol. Exotic and distinctive. Big and muscular. Brooding. Savoury.
