Château l'Évangile 2023

Jane Anson - Inside Bordeaux

Jeff Leve, The Wine Cellar Insider

Violets, lilacs, chocolate, truffle, black cherries, smoke, licorice, and plums fill the nose. But, the magic to L'Evangile is on the palate with its lush, supple, creamy, elegant textures, soft, polished tannins, length, and depth, finishing with layers of ripe, black plums, and cherries with peppery, spicy, chocolate on the backend. The wine blends 78% Merlot with 21% Cabernet Franc and 1% Cabernet Sauvignon. 13.6% ABV, 3.75. The key to the vintage here is the rains that fell in the end of June, which refreshed the vines at the right moment. The harvest took place September 4 - September 28, which is long for L'Evangile. The wine is aging in a combination of 50% new, French oak, 15% amphora and used oak barrels. The Grand Vin was made from 55% of the harvest. Drink from 2029-2050.

Robert Parker Wine Advocate

The 2023 L'Evangile has turned out nicely, unwinding in the glass with notes of cherries, iris, mocha and smoke. Medium- to full-bodied, rich and fleshy, with a broad, expansive profile, it's built around sweet tannins and ripe acids. It's a blend of 78% Merlot, 21% Cabernet Franc and 1% Cabernet Sauvignon, checking in at 13.5% alcohol, that was harvested between September 4 and 28, and yields came in at 42 hectoliters per hectare after a green harvest.

Jeb Dunnuck

A brilliant, ripe, textured Pomerol, the 2023 Château L'Evangile offers a deep-hued, intense perfume of red, blue, and black fruits intermixed with sappy flowers, chocolate, and tobacco. Based on 78% Merlot, 21% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Cabernet Sauvignon and aged 18 months in new oak barrels, it's incredibly refined on the palate, medium to full-bodied, with ultra-fine tannins, stunning purity, and a great finish. It might be playing it a little safe, but it's nevertheless a remarkable wine. Give bottles 4-5 years and enjoy over the following 30 years or so. Drink 2029-2054.

James Suckling

Mesmerizing aromas of blackberries, bark and hints of dark mushrooms, violets and chocolate. Medium-bodied with ultra-fine tannins that are polished and very long, bright acidity and a long and vivid finish. Rather endless. 78% merlot, 21% cabernet franc and 1% cabernet sauvignon. From organically grown grapes. Best after 2029, but already a joy to taste.