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L'Evangile 2020

RegionBordeaux
Subregion France > Bordeaux > Right Bank > Pomerol
ColourRed
TypeStill
Grape VarietyMerlot/Cabernet Franc

This château is situated in a prime position on the Pomerol plateau between Pétrus, La Conseillante and Cheval Blanc. The wines here are always smooth and seductive and are made by the team from Château Lafite. 20% of the production goes into a second label - Blason de l'Evangile.

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Label

Tasting Notes

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. Drink or hold.

99
James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com, May 2023

The 2020 L'Evangile is composed of 88% Merlot and 12% Cabernet Franc. Deep garnet-purple in color, it is a little closed to start, soon emerging with flamboyant scents of kirsch, crushed blueberries, and fresh plums, giving way to hints of garrigue, star anise, iron ore, roses, and crushed rocks. The full-bodied palate is lively and vibrant with shiny black berry layers accented by bright mineral and spicy sparks and a velvety texture, finishing long and fragrant. A beautifully poised and fantastically expressive L'Evangile - bravo to Juliette on her first vintage!

99
Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, The Wine Independent, March 2023

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.

Drinking Window 2028 - 2050

98
Jane Anson, Decanter.com, May 2021

The 2020 L'Evangile was picked quite early, as the estate's rather young vines were suffering in the dry conditions, and the decision appears to have been judicious, as the wine has turned out very well. Wafting from the glass with aromas of dark berries, plums, vine smoke and violets, it's medium to full-bodied, fleshy and layered, with velvety tannins and an elegant, harmonious profile that avoids any excess. 2025 - 2050

95
William Kelley, Wine Advocate, April 2023

The 2020 L'Évangile, the maiden vintage under the new team, is matured in 60% new oak and 40% mixture of used wood and amphora. It has an expressive, mineral-driven bouquet that open nicely with aeration, light floral touches, incense and potpourri emerging with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannins, lovely balance and very intense. This is not a powerful Pomerol, not one of huge dimension and muscle, yet there is a multi-layered finish of black fruit that lingers long in the mouth. One for laying down for a decade. Very impressive.

95
Neal Martin, vinous.com, February 2023

The harvest started early, on 2nd September and was completed by 21st September. Most of the fruit was already picked ahead of a heatwave on 14th September. This vintage is 88% Merlot and 12% Cabernet Franc. Deep ruby colour. Bursting with swollen, ripe cherry and a hint of redolent rosemary on the nose. There is an underlying smokiness but the rich core of fruit stands out. This follows on the palate, with a succulent, rounded sweetness of kirsch, strawberry and red cherry. The tannins are fine and integrated, making for a seductive mouthfeel. Sweet vanilla and nutmeg push through with the fruit, giving a richly smoky, long finish.

92/95
Farr Vintners, Farr Tasting, April 2021

88% Merlot, 12% Cabernet Franc. Cask sample.
Dense and reserved but with a lift of chocolate and berry fruit as it opens. Generous fruit on the palate, the aromatic complexity more pronounced. Burgundian, berry-fruit nuance. Firmly muscular and tannic behind, the tannins solid but well honed. Slightly grippy finish which could be the oak needing to settle. (JL)
Drink 2028 – 2045

17+
James Lawther MW, JancisRobinson.com, April 2021

(88% M, 12% CF; 14.5% ABV)
Rich and dense to smell, full, fresh, richly tannic; freshly ripe, gently mineral, softly fragrant, elegant, even, creamy wine, long and mineral-backed in flavor, long and chocolatey to finish, and just a touch warm at the end. A very good rather than an exceptional Evangile, especially in this great Pomerol plateau vintage. 2026–46+.

92/93
Michael Schuster, The World of Fine Wine, May 2021
Read more tasting notes...

The 2020 L’Evangile marks the opening of a chapter with a new winemaking team in place. Perhaps now it will begin challenging the Pomerol elite, which it ought to, given its terroir. The nose augurs a different L’Evangile, no question about that. Gone is the wall of new oak that occasionally shrouded the fruit and terroir expression; the oak is still there, but far more assimilated into the attractive brambly red berry fruit, black currant pastilles and light rose petal scents. The palate is smooth on the entry, so much so that it belies the depth of this wine. Complex and quite cerebral, delivering palpable salinity, particularly toward the finish. Veins of black truffle and white pepper come through with aeration over the course of an hour, and with revisits at three-hour intervals. I think there is a little work to do, but what this L’Evangile conveys is newfound personality and soul and a sense of Pomerol typicité. A new chapter opens. 2026 - 2055

94/96
Neal Martin, vinous.com, May 2021

This is so floral and pure, showing crushed-grape character with some walnut and crunchy seeds. It’s full-bodied, juicy and fresh. Purity of fruit. Juicy and long. 88% merlot and 12% cabernet franc.

98/99
James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com, May 2021

This 2020 blend of 88% Merlot and 12% Cabernet Franc has an alcohol of 14.5% and a pH of 3.8. 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. Drink 2026-2050.

96/98+
Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, Wine Advocate (79), May 2021
Please note that these tasting notes/scores are not intended to be exhaustive and in some cases they may not be the most recently published figures. However, we always do our best to add latest scores and reviews when these come to our attention. We advise customers who wish to purchase wines based simply on critical reviews to carry out further research into the latest reports.