Château L’Evangile 2017

Saskia de Rothschild is the intuitive and sharp manager of the incomparable Pomerol estate, Château L’Évangile and the First Growth Château Lafite Rothschild.  She describes Château L’Évangile as  “… a house in Bordeaux situated on the famed plateau of Pomerol.  It is at the heart of this natural laboratory that the earth and the heavens bring new lessons for each vintage.” The grand vin of Château L’Evangile is considered one of the finest offerings of this Right Bank appellation, held in esteem after some top tier estates like Château Vieux Château Certan and Château Pétrus.  The wine is remarkably consistent, and fabulous vintages occurred even after the devastating frosts in 1956. 
 
Château L’Évangile was one of the first vineyards to be planted in Pomerol.  It was founded by the Léglise family from Libourne in 1741.  The property’s name at the time was Domaine de Fazilleau.  Right around the turn of the 19th Century, the property was purchased by a lawyer who named the estate L’Évangile. Eventually Château L’Évangile would be acquired by the prestigious Ducasse family, who were the owners of the estate until 1990.  That year, 70 percent of the stake was sold to Lafite Rothschild.  Funnily enough, the Rothschilds wanted to make some changes at the estate – like adding new oak barrels.  Madame Ducasse, the owner of the remaining 30 percent of shares, was reluctant to this decision as new oak barrels are very expensive.  She turned a blind eye, however, when the Rothschilds began sneaking new oak barrels into the barrel room late at night without presenting her with the bill.  Eventually in 2004, Domaine Barons de Rothschild paid for an extensive renovation of the cellars which finished just before the legendary 2005 vintage.
 
Château L’Évangile has some incredible terroir.  A mosaic of only the best soils grace the vineyards of this special place.  The property is next door to esteemed estates like Château La Conseillante, Château Pétrus, and Château Cheval Blanc.  A tiny dirt road is the only barrier separating Château L’Évangile from the Right Bank region of Saint-Émilion.  In terms of soil, this 22 hectare property has a mixture of sandy clay soil with gravel and a small portion of the rare and special blue clay that is so famously associated with Château Pétrus.  The vineyard is managed by Oliver Trégoat, the technical director of Château Rieussec.  Interestingly enough, the Rothschilds began planting some Cabernet Sauvignon vines in the more graveled portions of the vineyard.  They first incorporated Cabernet Sauvignon in the 2019 vintage.  Everything is harvested by hand and the mixture of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Cabernet Sauvignon vines are fermented based on their original plots in cement vats.  After this happens, the grand vin is aged in 70 percent new French oak for 18 months.  The resulting wine is a simply stunning expression of Pomerol that needs a bit of time for its potential to unfold.  The wine is opulent, and since the 2000s, quality has been at a higher standard than ever before.    

Tasting Notes

"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." - Antonio Galloni, Vinous, (03/11/2020), Ratings: 97, Drink 2025-2042

"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." - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, The Wine Advocate, (03/17/2020), Ratings: 95

"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." - Jane Anson, (04/25/2018), Ratings: 95