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So much black truffle in the aroma here with blackberry and blueberry character, too. Full body, solid and stalwart. The layers of velvety tannins are impressive. I love the balance and energy to this. Underlines the greatness of 1998 for Pomerol and harks back to 1950. Just starting to be drinkable now.James Suckling | 98 JSComplex aromas of blackberry, fresh mushrooms, tobacco and wet earth. Full-bodied, soft and luxurious texture to this ripe and opulent wine. Long and decadent too. Just coming around now. Give it more time. L’Evangile at its finest.—’88/’98 Bordeaux blind retrospective (2008). Best after 2011. 3,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 97 WS72% Merlot, 24% Cabernet Franc. This has real depth of flavour and intensity that keep you gripped from start to finish. Near to its perfect drinking window. Amazing freshness at 20 years old; you can feel the flesh of the soft autumnal berry fruit given an edge by the curling cigar smoke. A true Right Bank vintage – and even more clearly a true Pomerol vintage. Drinking Window 2018 - 2032.Decanter | 96 DECDeep garnet-brick colored and blended of 72% Merlot and 28% Cabernet Franc, the nose of the 1998 L’Evangile has the most intensely perfumed scents of potpourri, fallen leaves, Chinese five spice, camphor and new leather over a core of crème de cassis, prunes, star anise, dusty soil and tobacco with wafts of dried lavender and cinnamon stick. Medium to full-bodied, rich and decadent in the mouth, it has layer upon layer of spice and savory notions with a plush frame and refreshing lift on the finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RPFull medium ruby. Fabulous nose combines black raspberry, sweet oak, bitter chocolate, truffle and mint, all lifted by a cool, slightly medicinal black cherry note of cabernet franc. Penetrating, pure, youthfully bound-up black fruit and licorice flavors. Densely packed and extremely backward. Finishes with very firm, oak-powered tannins. A superb, powerfully structured vintage for this wine, to drink between 2010 and 2025.Vinous Media | 93+ VM

The 2000 Château l’Evangile is blockbuster stuff and just about as good as it gets. This Merlot-dominated beauty shows some maturity but is still powerful, concentrated, and layered, with killer notes of currants, chocolate, smoked earth and spice. It has sweet tannin, an opulent, sexy texture, no hard edges and a great finish, all making it an incredible drink today. Nevertheless, it will keep for another 15+ years in cool cellars.Jeb Dunnuck | 98 JDThis is an absolutely spectacular L’Evangile. It remains to be seen whether 2009 will eclipse this great effort. Largely a Merlot-dominated blend with some Cabernet Franc in it, the greatness of this terroir is exhibited in the complexity of the nose, which offers up hints of subtle chocolate, blueberry, blackberry, truffle, barbecue smoke, and graphite. Dense, rich, and full-bodied, with an opulence and succulence that are prodigious, the tannins are present but extremely sweet, and the wine multi-dimensional and just emerging as a compellingly complex, head-turning beauty. Drink it now and over the next 20-25 years. Kudos to L’Evangile.Robert Parker | 98 RPLots of iodine, oyster, blueberry and blackberry aromas with hints of black olives. Some basil, too. Full body, powerful and dense with velvety tannins and fantastic length and intensity. A rich wine yet shows focus and form. Beautiful now and still showing impressive youth. There is a warmth to it. Drink or hold for years to come.James Suckling | 96 JSSaturated ruby. Superripe aromas of black and red fruits and dark chocolate; almost but not quite pruney. Then pliant, sweet and lush, with explosive black raspberry fruit and lots of early personality. This is downright hedonistic and deceptively soft. Finishes very long and ripe, with extremely fine tannins.Vinous Media | 92-95 VM91% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Franc. Needs aerating and remains a touch closed, even after 17 years. Clearly displays the rich black fruit and sexy Pomerol swagger that you expect of such a big vintage, tempered by the delicacy of the winemaking at L’Evangile. This is a great wine, still young, with a long life ahead of it. Drinking Window 2018 - 2035Decanter | 94 DECA savory edge leads off, followed by well-mulled raspberry, blackberry and strawberry flavors, with dried anise and black licorice notes taking over on the finish. Touches of raisin and plum skin notes at the very end have this red flirting with a Port-like surmaturité, but this will have fans for sure. You can push it if you want, but I’d drink this sooner rather than later.—Blind 2000 Bordeaux retrospective (December 2015). Drink now through 2023. 2,800 cases made.Wine Spectator | 92 WS

Along with the 2005, the 2009 is the greatest Angelus I've tasted and is a perfect wine in every way. Based on 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Franc raised in (I believe) 100% new oak, its still youthful ruby/purple color is followed by an incredible perfume of crème de cassis and blueberry fruits as well as notes of white chocolate, Asian spices, flowery incense, and a hint of white truffle. Full-bodied and powerful, it still stays weightless and elegant on the palate, and as all truly great wines do, it offers an amazing amount of both hedonistic and intellectual pleasure. It has a wealth of tannins, incredible depth of fruit, and a finish that won't quit. Drink this magical, heavenly 2009 any time over the coming 20-30 years or more.Jeb Dunnuck | 100 JDA candidate for perfection with a few more years of bottle age, this great vintage of Angelus has an almost impenetrable black/purple color and a gorgeous nose of incense, graphite, blackberry liqueur, truffles and spring flowers. The wine is full-bodied, with a voluptuous texture a magnificent concentration and purity of fruit, a stunning finish of close to a minute, and wonderfully sweet, velvety tannins that make for a prodigious Angelus that should turn out to be one of the all-time greats ever made at this estate. Drink it over the next 25-50 years.Robert Parker | 99+ RPA brilliant wine that has taken on depth and character with every year of ageing. At 11 years old you still find plenty of exuberant black cherry and cassis fruits, along with muscular tannins and a gripping slate texture, but there are also grilled oak notes that are evident although not dominant. A big jump up in the percentage of Cabernet Franc in the blend also, which no doubt helps keep focus and a sense of restraint even in a warm year, allowing for a counterbalance to the opulence. Harvest September 25th to October 14th. Drinking Window 2022 - 2045.Decanter | 96 DECIf you've ever eaten really good British Christmas cake then you know what this lavish 2009 St.-Emilion smells and tastes like. Every bit as rich as it is polished with a long moderately dry finish packed with powdery tannins. Drink or hold. (Horizontal Tasting, London, 2019).James Suckling | 96 JSThe 2009 Angélus has a very refined bouquet with a mixture of red and black fruit, quite lavish in style with hints of crushed violet developing in the glass. You cannot help but be taken by the purity of this Angélus. The palate is medium-bodied with ripe and supple tannin, well judged acidity, beautifully balanced with supremely well integrated oak towards the finish. This is a wonderful Angélus that should give another two or three decades of drinking pleasure. Tasted at BI Wines & Spirits' Ten Year On tasting.Vinous Media | 96 VMRich and rather stolid now, this features a wall of roasted apple wood and charcoal flavors in front of the dense core of black Mission fig, steeped black currant fruit and espresso notes. Extremely dense on the finish, but the inlaid spice and tobacco hints are there just beneath the surface, needing only extended cellaring to emerge fully. One of the larger-scaled efforts of the vintage. Best from 2018 through 2035. 8,165 cases made.Wine Spectator | 96 WSClosed at this stage, this promises a huge, ripe future. Toast and spice notes are balanced around a black plum flavor. The dense, dark tannins create a brooding character, which is balanced by freshness on the finish. Give this wine at least 10 years.Wine Enthusiast | 94 WE

The 2010 Palmer is one of the superstars of the vintage, a blend of 54% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon and 6% Petit Verdot, which is just slightly different than what I indicated two years ago. The alcohol level hit 14.5%, and the wine comes across like a more stacked-and-packed version of their 2000. It is tannic and backward, but has a sensational black/purple color and a gorgeous nose of camphor, barbecue smoke, blackberry and cassis. Full-bodied, with oodles of glycerin but a relatively healthy pH, this wine has a precision and freshness that belie its lofty alcohol and extravagant concentration. This is a sensationally rich, full-throttle Palmer that could well end up being one of the all-time great wines made at this estate. It needs a good 7-10 years of cellaring and should keep for 50 or more years.There’s no question that Thomas Duroux and the staff at Palmer are producing wines of first-growth quality, and have been for nearly a decade.Robert Parker | 98+ RPOne of the great years of Bordeaux now at 10 years old and showing why this is such an unusual vintage in terms of the depth of structure and muscular concentration that was achieved. In fact, I am upping the drinking window from the last time I tasted this, as there is such a pulse of life and grip that shows no signs of going anywhere. The initial layers are starting to be peeled back, but this retains primary black and blue fruits that are still full of flesh alongside baked earth, tons of liquorice and black chocolate with a grippy tannic structure, fresh acidities and a serious attitude. Brilliant stuff, that is clearly going to power on for decades. Harvest September 22 to October 20. Drinking Window 2022 - 2048.Decanter | 98 DECA purity of fruit here with plum and dark chocolate undertones. Spices and treacle tart as well. Full body, with ultra-fine tannins and a long, long finish. Very fine indeed. Fit, fruity and reserved. Superb. Try in 2020.James Suckling | 98 JSWhile outwardly this wine is generous and opulent with great juicy sweetness, the core is structured and powerful. The wine is concentrated and complex, with dark tannins and a brooding, dense texture. This is a wine with a long-lived future.Wine Enthusiast | 97 WEThe 2010 Palmer has an outgoing, intense and multifaceted bouquet with black cherries, boysenberry, crushed violets and hints of cassis - your quintessential Margaux turned up to eleven. The palate is medium-bodied with very supple tannins and a fine bead of acidity. Headier than its Margaux peers, it builds in the mouth with a complex, marine-tinged finish with cracked black pepper lingering on the aftertaste. This is an outstanding Palmer but it needs more time in bottle. Tasted from an ex-château bottle at the BI Wines & Spirits 10-Year On tasting.Vinous Media | 96 VMThis is riveting, with terrific tarry grip coursing underneath layers of smoldering bay leaf, warm plum confiture, freshly brewed espresso, dark cassis and well-steeped black tea. The charcoal and tobacco backdrop is gorgeous and should move forward through the core of fruit over time. Be patient though, as the structure is ironclad. This will really be electric once mature. Best from 2017 through 2040. 8,500 cases made.Wine Spectator | 96 WS(Château Palmer) The 2010 Château Palmer is a quite powerful rendition of this fine estate, but without any signs of the ripeness here obscuring any of the potential purity that makes this great estate so beloved by claret fans the world over. My notes do not include the alcohol level on the grand vin this year (which was also absent from the technical sheet handed out by the estate), but the literature from Palmer this year does observe that “although the alcoholic degree is very high, like in 2009, the acidity and tannic concentration are greater (than 2009), making for wines with an extremely solid foundation.” Given a cépage in 2010 that is comprised of fifty-four percent merlot, forty percent cabernet sauvignon and six percent petit verdot, one has to assume that the alcohol level is in the range of 14.5 percent in this vintage. But the wine shows no ill effects from this level of ripeness, as it offers up a superb nose of black cherries, blackberries, coffee bean, tobacco smoke, gravel and a suave base of new oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and quite powerful for Palmer, with a rock solid core of fruit, very good focus and balance, substantial, but well-integrated tannins and excellent length and grip on the tangy finish. Stylistically, this will probably never be my favorite vintage at Palmer, as I tend to prefer this wine when it is at its most elegant, but there is no denying that the 2010 is beautifully-made and does show extraordinary purity and focus for such a broad-shouldered wine. (Drink between 2025-2100)John Gilman | 95 JG