Chateau L'Evangile - Pomerol 2020

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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.

James Suckling: 99 Points

Very classy and refined with subtle complexity and linear structure. Floral and perfumed. Medium- to full-bodied. Fine velvety tannins and a bright finish. Racy and fine. Really intense. Juniper and fresh sage. Bitter lemon. Botanicals. Bright. 88% merlot and 12% cabernet franc.

Decanter: 98 Points

The sculpting of L'Evangile that began over the past few vintages continues, and the 2020 is a gorgeous wine. Pristine fruit, silky with a whoosh of menthol. It elevates over the palate, both dense and light, with blueberry and raspberry fruits, and pulses of bitter almond and honeysuckle on the finish that gives focus and spice. Juliette Couderc joined L'Evangile (from DBR Lafite's Long Dai winery) in September 2020 so for the harvest of this wine, working alongside technical director Olivier Tregoat. 50% first wine, with no Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend this year because it was so over-concentrated that it made too much impact. Increased selective harvesting meant going through vineyard plots six times to bring in the grapes as they ripened. A yield of 32hl/ha. In the final year of organic conversion, so this next vintage 2021 will be certified. (JA)

Jeb Dunnuck

The Grand Vin 2020 Château L'Evangile checks in as 88% Merlot and 12% Cabernet Franc, all of which was brought up in 50% new French oak, with 8% in amphora. Awesome notes of ripe black fruits, darker cherries, chocolate, spicy oak, and smoked tobacco define the aromatics, and it's medium to full-bodied, with a seamless, elegant, perfectly balanced mouthfeel, silky tannins, and a great finish. It's not massive yet shows the classic, balanced, elegant style of this estate today beautifully. Hide bottles for 5-7 years (it already offers pleasure) and drink this incredibly classy Pomerol over the following 30 years. It's pure class.

Wine Advocate

Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2020 L'Evangile rolls effortlessly out of the glass with notions of mulberries, black raspberries and stewed red and black plums, plus suggestions of Indian spices, dusty soil and violets with a touch of iron ore. The medium to full-bodied palate possesses compelling freshness and a fine-grained texture to support the muscular black and red fruits, finishing long and earthy. (LPB) 96-98+