Chateau l'Evangile 2017

This year, L’Évangile also shows beguiling elegance, with particularly fresh tannins and a floral-mineral aromatic profile. Superb.

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.

This is a breed apart, with a remarkably dense yet lithe core of braised fig, warmed plum sauce and steeped black currant fruit, coated with ganache and melted licorice details and infused with incense and black tea notes. Incredibly lush through the finish, but maintains cut and drive due to the well-embedded alder spine. Best from 2022 through 2040. 3,000 cases made.

This has a lovely silkiness to it, one of the real successes in the appellation in terms of texture and tannin quality. 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 doesn’t quite match it in terms of completeness. A 30-day maceration at reasonable temperatures has brought out the core 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 40 hl/ha.

The generosity in this wine is essence-like, with black cherries, black truffles and wet earth. Full-bodied and deep, with rich, creamy tannins and a long, intense finish. It goes on for minutes. Silky and fantastic. Extremely well done. Drink after 2023.

The 2017 L’Evangile is 100% Merlot since frost denied the estate its usual Cabernet Franc. It has a refined bouquet with raspberry and blackcurrant fruit, touches of undergrowth and crushed stone, and floral scents that emerge with time. Yet, I still miss the contribution of the Cabernet Franc. Likewise, the palate is silky smooth with fine tannins, powdery in texture with blackberry and bilberry fruit, yet there is something of a duet being played solo here. A lovely wine given the difficult circumstances, although the follow-up will be better.

Plum liqueur, chocolate, flowers and truffle with Asian spice are at the heart of the perfume. The opulent finish offers sweet fruits with a cocoa and anise character, along with freshness and length. Full-bodied, erotic, exotic and unique for the property.

Deep, dark ruby with purple reflections, brightening at the rim. An inviting bouquet of fine nougat, ripe cherries, a touch of savoury herbs, and ripe plum nuances. Juicy, rounded, and powerful, with well-integrated, powerful tannins, and a chocolaty texture. It is full bodied, fruity, and persistent. Long, with a mineral finish. 100% Merlot this time.

Production was down 40% at Chateau L’Evangile due to the frost. The 2017 Chateau L'Evangile is 100% Merlot, and 2017 is the first time this cuvee has not included some other variety. Aged 16 months in 75% new barrels, it's a ripe, powerful L'Evangile loaded with chocolate-laced black fruits, mocha, toasted spice, and subtle oak. These carry over to the palate, where the wine is medium to full-bodied, has plenty of oomph and power, yet stays flawlessly balanced and even elegant. It’s a stunning example from the vintage that’s going to benefit from 4-6 years of bottle age and cruise for two decades.

100% Merlot. Dark garnet-ruby. Seductive bouquet of cherry and red currant, followed by raspberry, lilac notes, and chocolate truffle. On the palate, a creamy texture and sweet extract; the tannins are perfectly polished and support this elegant package. In the focused finish, an eruption of blueberry fruit with delicate astringency. Will everyone recognize this delicacy? I don’t think so. This is for true finesse drinkers! Why 100% Merlot? “The Cabernet Franc froze at the end of April and there was no second generation,” explained Director Jean Pascal Vazart. 18.5/20

Kunz Barrel Sample 18: (100% Merlot) Silky, finely opulent, complex bouquet with strawberries, subtle blackberries, pralines, and currants. Creamy, tightly knit, fresh, elegant palate with powerful, sweet aromatics, intense yet refined fruit, fine tannins, concentrated structure, and a long, dense, full finish.

(100% Merlot) Silky, finely opulent, complex bouquet, strawberries, delicate blackberries, pralines, currants. Creamy, densely woven, fresh, elegant palate with powerful, sweet aromatics, intense, refined fruit, fine tannins, concentrated structure, long, dense, full finish. 19/20 2024 - 2045

L’Evangile 2017 is 100% Merlot, as the Cabernet Franc was lost to frost. It has a deep garnet color and opens with open-knit notes of warm plums, black raspberries, and kirsch, plus hints of roses and charcoal, with a waft of cedar. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is soft and juicy with plenty of expressive black fruit flavors at the mid-palate, finishing with a lift of red berries.

100% Merlot due to frost, this is a sensual, immediately accessible wine, without the complexity of the previous three vintages but undoubtedly successful.

2017 is to date the only Évangile made from 100% Merlot. What finesse in the bouquet of this wine, where the fruity notes and the élevage are in symbiosis. On the palate, the wine is fresh and delicious—and this with 14.8% alcohol! The tannins are very fine, velvety, and perfectly integrated. They bring breadth and counterbalance the wine’s structural backbone. This wine will need cellaring to blossom, but the outlook is promising. One to follow over time. Elegant, persistent finish.

For the first time in its history, this wine is entirely 100% Merlot. Frost resulted in a yield of 20 hl/ha and the harvest lasted 36 days! Dark, intense, and beautiful color. Very aromatic nose with ripe fruit. Precise on the palate from the initial attack, then finely unctuous mid-palate, melting and perfumed; the wine gains an extra dimension between mid-palate and finish, ending long, noble, and, above all, impossible to spit out.

93–95. Barrel Sample. This dense wine is packed with intense tannins. The secret to the wine, which is 100% Merlot, is not just the structure but the immensely ripe black-plum and -berry fruits that envelope the dry core, lending opulence and richness. The wine has a lift of freshness on the finish. It will age, and should not be opened before 2024.