Critic Notes
This is a remake of the great 2015 but it’s much finer and more sophisticated. Such great quality and very sexy. Full body and ultra-polished and clean tannins. Salty, dark fruit. Superb length. Want to drink it! Mar 2017, www.jamessuckling.com
Score: 98-99 / 100James Suckling
Incredibly deep in color, the truffle, the flower, the dark chocolate and black cherry liqueur aroma is impossible to avoid. Dense, rich, and full-bodied, this wine has crossed over to the dark fruit side of the style range. It’s masculine, powerful and tannic. The freshness is there, the fruit is there and the long finish is packed with black fruits, fig, plum and chocolate. This is the most powerful and concentrated wine I’ve ever experienced here – this could be a legend in the making. That being said, consumers will need patience as this is going to demand a decade in the cellar. Made from a blend of 92% Merlot and 8% Cabernet Franc, this is the highest amount of Merlot used in the history of l’Evangile. The wine is 14.5% alcohol with a pH of 3.8 and the harvest took place from September 26 to October 10. Apr 2017, www.thewinecellarinsider.com
Score: 97-99 / 100Jeff Leve
This absolutely stands up to be counted amongst the greatest of the Pomerols this year. It has shots of minerality and elegance darting right through its autumnal fruits, and touches of sexy, bitter chocolate. Persistent, rich and succulent. 92% Merlot and 8% Cabernet Franc. Apr 2017, www.decanter.com, Drink: 2026-2050
Score: 97 / 100DecanterDrinking Window: 2026-2050
The 2016 L'Evangile is made from 92% Merlot and 8% Cabernet France. It has a deep garnet-purple color and opens with notions of plum preserves, Black Forest cake, red cherry compote and black raspberries with touches of menthol, chocolate box, licorice and tobacco leaf. Medium to full-bodied, the palate features fantastically ripe, velvety tannins and beautiful freshness, lifting the generous, brightly fruited mid-palate and giving bags of energy to the very long-lingering, minerally finish. Nov 2018, www.robertparker.com
Score: 97 / 100Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, Wine Advocate
Jean-Pascal Vazart has done a magnificent job with the 2016 L'Évangile. Silky and caressing on the palate, the wine soars out of the glass with extraordinary perfume. Somehow it manages to be incredibly dense and deep yet stay light on its feet. Perfectly ripe, silky tannins add to an impression of total finesse. Captivating and riveting in its beauty, the 2016 L'Évangile is without question one of the most brilliant and memorable wines of the year. Vazart gave the 2016 lots about 31 days on the skins, with a gentle extraction, followed by malolactic fermentation in barrel. Apr 2017, www.vinous.com
Score: 94-97 / 100Antonio Galloni, Vinous
The 2016 L'Evangile is a blend of 92% Merlot and 8% Cabernet Franc; the latter suffered more stress than the Merlot this year, especially the younger three and ten-year-old plantings. It was picked from 26 September until 10 October, which is earlier than many other Right Bank properties. It has a clean and precise bouquet with mineral-infused black fruit, more "distant" than the 2015 last year. With time, that small proportion of Cabernet Franc becomes more evident. The palate is medium-bodied with firm and grainy tannin. This is very structured as this Pomerol is wont to be, a gentle grip in the mouth, touches of tar and tobacco towards the finish that needs a little more flesh. I feel that this will develop during its élevage. This is excellent, although I do miss the contribution of the Cabernet Franc. Apr 2017, www.robertparker.com, Drink: 2022-2045
Score: 94-96 / 100Neal MartinDrinking Window: 2022-2045
Average yield 29 hl/ha, reduced by very low yields on their heavy percentage of young Cabernet Franc vines. 8% Cabernet Franc. They cooled the must to 5 °C for 5-10 days until the alcohol had reached 10%. Extremely deep colour. Very intense, concentrated wine. Sweet start. Very muscular. Almost like cassis cordial! Massive 14.5% alcohol. Exotic and distinctive. Big and muscular. Brooding. Savoury. Apr 2017, www.jancisrobinson.com, Drink: 2030-2050
Score: 17.5 / 20Jancis Robinson MWDrinking Window: 2030-2050
