Château l'Évangile 2020

Druvor

88% Merlot & 12% Cabernet Franc

Tasting note

The 2020 L'Evangile was picked quite early, as the estate's rather young vines were suffering in the dry conditions, and the decision appears to have been judicious, as the wine has turned out very well. Wafting from the glass with aromas of dark berries, plums, vine smoke and violets, it's medium to full-bodied, fleshy and layered, with velvety tannins and an elegant, harmonious profile that avoids any excess.

“Since the beginning, it was tracking as an early vintage,” said L’Evangile’s technical director, Olivier Tregoat. “We were close to the mid-ripening period here, when 30 millimeters of rain fell on the 17th August in Pomerol. It was just enough. We wanted to maintain the power and creaminess, but we also wanted freshness, more tension in the wine. We were the first people in Pomerol to harvest. We picked all the main plots 5th-13th September, just before the two heat waves on 14th and 17th September. And this year, we decided to decrease the amount of new oak. We’re aging in 50% new oak and a few amphora (7% to 8%). “We have a DNA at Lafite to always look for delicacy in our wines,” added Saskia de Rothschild, chairwoman of Domaines Barons de Rothschild. “Not forgetting this, we also want aging capacity.” 2018, 2019 and 2020 have indeed been a trio of strong vintages at L’Evangile, as it evolves and edges ever closer to a fresher, more nuanced style, without losing its intense and, at times, powerful core. This vintage captures this paradox beautifully.

The 2020 L'Evangile is the first vintage produced under the management of Juliette Couderc and Olivier Trégoat at this Pomerol benchmark, sandwiched between the likes of La Conseillante, Cheval Blanc, Vieux Château Certan and Pétrus. The vineyards here are young, as 22 hectares have been replanted since 2001, which necessitated an early harvest. In warmer, drier vintages, canopies are being hedged lower to mitigate against excess sugar accumulation, systematic deleafing is no longer employed, cover crops are protecting the soils, and a row of Cabernet Sauvignon is increasingly making it into the grand vin, traditionally a blend of more or less 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc. Attempts are also being made to rein in this wine's tendency to opulence, employing less new oak, more discreet toasts adapted to Evangile, and experimenting with amphorae and now a foudre. Of course, harvest timing is crucial, and more and more the vineyard is picked by soil type instead of block.

Robert Parker Wine Advocate

Årgången 2020

Årgången 2020 kommer att komma ihåg för den tidiga utvecklingen av vinstockarna. Mellan oktober 2019 och februari 2020 bidrog vissa episoder av regn till att skapa tillräckliga vattenreserver. En varm vår med kraftiga regn gynnade tidig men heterogen knoppsprängning. Ändå begränsades denna heterogenitet av arbete på jorden, vilket gjorde att den värmdes upp snabbare. Medan de varma temperaturerna och kraftiga nederbörden i april väckte oro för vinrankornas hälsa, möjliggjorde de goda väderförhållandena i mitten av maj en snabb och jämn blomning. Månaderna juni och juli var extremt torra (5 mm nederbörd på 55 dagar), vilket orsakade betydande vattenstress. På grund av detta torra väder tillsammans med kyliga temperaturer, utfördes en noggrann bladstrippning på den östra sidan av vingården (där solen går upp), för att uppmuntra fenolsyntesen av druvorna. Regniga dagar i början av augusti återupplivade druvornas mognadsprocess. Vingårdens fantastiska läge och vingårdsteamens arbete minimerade hälsoriskerna i samband med hög luftfuktighet och värme. Den indiska sommaren fram till skörden möjliggjorde en optimal mognad av druvorna. Med hänsyn till årgångens brådska och de höga temperaturerna i september togs beslutet att skörda tidigt, för att bevara druvornas spänning och täthet.