Château l'Evangile
The vintage
After a fairly wet winter, the fine weather arrived to stay in April. Conditions were ideal: hot and dry, with water reserves maintained by a few rainy spells in June and September, while high temperatures combined with cool nights enabled the grapes to ripen slowly and steadily.
The Merlot and Cabernet were thus excellent in terms of quality, but slightly lower in quantity compared to previous years due to the lack of rain during the summer. This is a very high quality vintage with beautifully ripened grapes and excellent expressions of tannins.
Location
The Pomerol appellation stretches on a plateau on the right bank of the Dordogne river, about 40km north east of Bordeaux. In Pomerol, merlot is king. The characteristics of Pomerol’s clay soil give to this varietal an expression like nowhere else in the world.
Terroir
L’Evangile’s vineyard covers 22 hectares at the heart of the Pomerol plateau, sharing the appellation’s best terroirs with two other prestigious properties. Here, through a mystery of geology, the heavy green clay soils are covered by a bed of gravel. These high quality soils are the source of the estate’s great merlot, and the secret of Chateau l’Evangile’s extraordinary power and depth.
Winemaking
Alcoholic fermentation took place in temperature-controlled concrete vats and lasted for about 10 days. Pumping over and maceration times were adjusted for each vat, according to the terroir and the maturity of the tannins. Total maceration times were of 27 days on average for the merlot and 28 days for the cabernet franc. After maceration, the wine was transferred in new oak barrels for the malolactic fermentation, followed by 18 months of ageing. The barrels are made by the Tonnellerie des Domaines Barons de Rothschild (Lafite) in Pauillac.
Grapes
Tasting
Dark, almost black colour, with hints of purple. Dense, lingering, expressive, very ripe, concentrated nose with notes of Morello cherries, raspberries and mocha. The attack is powerful and concentrated with very ripe, terrifically dense tannins. The palate is mature, rich and concentrated with a very silky finish, supported by a delightful freshness.
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