2021 Ch L'Evangile, Pomerol

DUE OCT 2024

Deep colour. Musky plum, blackberry pastille, praline. Well concentrated plum, blackberry, chocolate fine textures, liquorice and pronounced acidity. Sweet fruited, fine bittersweet tannins. Very good density and attack. 69% merlot, 30% cabernet franc, 1% cabernet sauvignon. 50% new oak, 50% amphora. 14% alc

94-95 points Andrew Caillard MW

Smells concentrated and quite bold, more of a heady nose, dark fruits and gorgeous perfumed Cabernet aspects. Succulent and juicy, a really appealing and charming palate, juiciness but density too, you get plump fruit here rather than a piercing focus giving more of a mouthful than some others but still with a detail to the fine tannins, the ripe fruit, cherry and blackcurrant and plum with a long finish. Sustained on the palate, this doesn't let up, slowly building from start to finish giving a cool, delicate, refined palate but still with grippy maintaining attention. You can tell they got full ripeness here, but there's also this lovely cooling, slate aspect - the soft chalkiness that comes in on the finish. I like this - the initial intensity, directness of black fruit and then the chalk texture. Feels nicely complete and one of the larger, more dense wines this vintage. A yield of 20hl/ha with all the Cabernet Sauvignon going into the grand vin. Juliette Couderc technical director. First year certified organic.

Drinking Window 2026 - 2045

94 points Georgina Hindle decanter.com

A good example of how skilful winemaking adapts to conditions - all the Cabernet Sauvignon has gone into the 1st wine this year because it achieved plenty of natural concentration, while recently it has been put into Blason because it took away from the elegance of the 1st wine. Savoury, supple black and blue fruits, austere but with sapidity and juice, and a gorgeous wash of campfire smoke, salted caramel, liquorice, cloves and saffron spices. 20hl/h yield after mildew. This is their first organic-certified vinified, and first year with Juliette Couderc as technical director from beginning to end of the growing season. Harvest September 21 to October 4. No chaptilisation. 50% new oak, 15% amphora, 3.6ph.

94 points Jane Anson janeanson.com

The 2021 L’Evangile is a heady sensual wine. Silky pliant with fabulous balance L’Evangile is a standout. The blend includes 30% Cabernet franc high for the Chateau but what really stands out is the wines balance. Red purplish fruit blood orange rose petal and spice are all wrapped together by silky pliant tannins. Franc aromatics and saline underpinnings extend the finish. Elevage has 50% new oak 35% one year old barrels and 15% amphora .Readers will find a super classic L’Evangile that has tonnes of potential. I loved it.

94-96 points AG vinous.com

A pure, creamy and well-structured yet very fine Evangile. Long and caressing. Very fine tannins. Lots of fresh dark fruit and savory, mineral character. Understated and classy. 69% merlot, 30% cabernet franc and 1% cabernet sauvignon.

96-97 points James Suckling jamessuckling.com

The Grand Vin 2021 Château L'Evangile includes more Cabernet Franc and is 69% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Cabernet Sauvignon, brought up in 50% new French oak, with 15% amphora. Beautiful blue fruits, violets, chocolate, and some gravelly earth define the bouquet and while it's a medium-bodied, more mid-weight L'Evangile, it has a wonderful purity of fruit, ripe, present, silky tannins, outstanding balance, and a great finish. It's another vibrant, elegant, seamless Pomerol that will drink nicely with just short-term cellaring yet have 20 years of prime drinking.

93-95 points Jeb Dunnuck jebdunnuck.com

A blend of 69% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Franc and 1% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2021 L'Evangile offers up aromas of plums, cherries and wild berries mingled with notions of rose petals, violets, licorice and tobacco leaf. Medium to full-bodied, ample and velvety, with fine concentration and rich, powdery structuring tannins that assert themselves on the finish, this estate's rather low average vine age meant Evangile didn't suffer much from coulure this year, and the rainy growing season also spared young Cabernet Franc from hydric stress—explaining its historically high percentage in the 2021 blend.

93-95 points Willam Kelley robertparker.com