Chateau L'Evangile - Pomerol 2017

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97 Points! "The 2017 L'Évangile, 100% Merlot for this first time, is just as impressive from bottle as it was from barrel. Dark, sumptuous and wonderfully inviting, the 2017 has so much to offer. Dark fruit, spice, mocha, leather and licorice infuse the 2017 with notable depth. Time in the glass brings out lovely aromatic top notes that add freshness. A rapturously beautiful wine, L'Évangile is stellar. Frost wiped out half of the potential crop, including all of the Cabernet Franc, which means the Grand Vin is 100% Merlot." Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

Chateau L'Evangile Description

Circa 1900, Chateau L’Evangile was widely considered the third-best wine in all of Pomerol, just behind Vieux Chateau Certan and Petrus.

Located next door to Chateau La Conseillante, not far from Petrus and only a stone’s throw from Chateau Cheval Blanc in the southeast section of the Pomerol plateau, a small, dirt road separates L’Evangile from Saint Emilion. They have a terroir of clay, gravel, and sand with iron oxide soil and with sections closer to the peak of the Pomerol plateau, near Petrus with more of that all-important, deep blue clay.

In 1990, Lafite acquired L’Évangile from the Ducasse family with a goal of ensuring that the property was managed to the same high standard. The first thing they did was to create a refined selection of the Grand Vin, and the introduction of a second wine: Blaison de L’Évangile. The complete renovation of the vat room and the cellar, which was finished in 2004, completed the property’s new configuration. In June 2012, they purchased 6 hectares of vines from La Croix de Gay allowing them to expand their vineyard to its current 22-hectare size. The vineyard began conversion to organic farming in 2018 and was certified as 100% organic in 2021.

Vinous: 97 Points

The 2017 L'Évangile, 100% Merlot for this first time, is just as impressive from bottle as it was from barrel. Dark, sumptuous and wonderfully inviting, the 2017 has so much to offer. Dark fruit, spice, mocha, leather and licorice infuse the 2017 with notable depth. Time in the glass brings out lovely aromatic top notes that add freshness. A rapturously beautiful wine, L'Évangile is stellar. Frost wiped out half of the potential crop, including all of the Cabernet Franc, which means the Grand Vin is 100% Merlot. Technical Director Jean Pascal Vazart opted for gentle pumpovers and longer extractions than normal. (Drink between 2025-2042) AG

Jeb Dunnuck: 96 Points

Production was down 40% at Chateau L’Evangile due to the frost. The 2017 Chateau L'Evangile is 100% Merlot, and 2017 is the first time this cuvee has not included some other variety. Aged 16 months in 75% new barrels, it's a ripe, powerful L'Evangile loaded with chocolate-laced black fruits, mocha, toasted spice, and subtle oak. These carry over to the palate, where the wine is medium to full-bodied, has plenty of oomph and power, yet stays flawlessly balanced and even elegant. It’s a stunning example from the vintage that’s going to benefit from 4-6 years of bottle age and cruise for two decades.

Wine Advocate

All of the Cabernet Franc was frosted in 2017, so L'Evangile is composed of 100% Merlot for the first time. Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2017 L'Evangile is a little closed to begin, offering glimpses at blueberry preserves, baked plums and black raspberries scents before revealing nuances of spice cake, cinnamon stick, dusty soil and garrigue plus a waft of incense. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has a lot of richness and depth, with firm, ripe, rounded tannins and just enough freshness, finishing long and spicy. (LPB)

Decanter

This has a lovely silkiness to it, one of the real successes in the appellation in terms of the texture and the quality of the tannins. It's a fairly powerful 100% Merlot with 100% new oak - an unusual combination because the old vine Cabernet Franc was lost to frost in 2017. This is one of the few wines that gets close to the quality of 2016, even if it's not quite there in terms of its completeness. 30 days maceration at reasonable temperatures has brought out the heart of plump blackberry fruit, while delivering subtle tobacco and slate elegance. I like this a lot. 100% organic in the vineyard (2016 was 95% organic) but not certified. 60% grand vin this year, from 40hl/ha. (JA)