In the hands of Domaines Barons de Rothschild, whose illustrious stable includes Château Lafite Rothschild, Château Duhart-Milon and Château Rieussec, this Pomerol estate is now back on form - reflected in the lofty scores in recent vintages including its first 100-points in 2010. Having gone through a rocky patch through lack of investment, Baron Eric de Rothschild made his move on L'Évangile in 1990, taking full control in 1999. With neighbours including Pétrus and Château Cheval Blanc in the Saint-Émilion appellation, this was clearly an estate with location, location, location. What's more, its potential was clear from the acclaim it had received in the past: in the 1868 edition of the seminal Bordeaux wine directory, 'Cocks et Féret', Château L’Évangile was listed as a 'Premier Cru du Haut-Pomerol', despite this appellation having no official classification.
Producers could prefix 'Haut' to Pomerol if they were on the prized plateau, which continues to be the home of the best vineyards in the area. Edmund Penning Rowsell's 'The Wines of Bordeaux' (1979) also notes: "L'Évangile was a Pomerol with a very considerable reputation in the 1920s, and its vineyard sign immediately opposite Cheval-Blanc bears the inscription 'L'Évangile Haut Pomerol".