Wines with Age

wines

I continue to be blown away by the 2000 Château L’Evangile. This is straight-up magical juice that will compete with anything out there. Revealing a still vivid ruby hue with no lightening at the rim, it builds beautifully with time in the glass and has the incredible Pomerol mix of opulence and elegance. Darker cherries, currants, graphite, loamy earth, and chocolate all define the bouquet, and it’s full-bodied, with a layered, multi-dimensional mouthfeel, perfect tannins, and an incredible finish. It will be interesting to see if the 2016 hits the same heights, but this is clearly one of the greatest wines from this estate.Jeb Dunnuck | 99 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 JS91% 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 DECSaturated 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 VMA 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

Another spectacular effort from L’Evangile, the 2010 is a close rival to the 2009 and should be fascinating to compare with that vintage over the next 30 or so years. Stunningly rich and black/purple in color, the 2010 L’Evangile offers up the tell-tale floral note as well as black raspberry jam intermixed with cassis and kirsch. There are also ethereal floral notes and a hint of background oak. The pH is slightly above average (3.7 versus the pH of 4.0 that the 2009 and 2000 possessed). This is a massive, rich, very impressive L’Evangile, and readers should take note of the “+” in my rating, which could certainly push this wine way up there. Remarkably, I was shocked when I learned that this wine was aged in 100% new oak, as the oak is a background element in this blockbuster l’Evangile. Forget it for 3-5 years, and drink it over the following 30-40.With an alcohol level hitting the scales at 14.8%, the 2,000 cases of 2010 L’Evangile come from a blend of 88% Merlot and 12% Cabernet Franc, which I assume is much less Cabernet Franc than what was used under the old administration of the Ducasse family versus what is being done now by Eric de Rothschild and his team. The new administrators have added some vineyard parcels from neighboring sites, particularly Le Croix de Gay, and they have also replanted part of this vineyard, which sits on the St.-Emilion border next to La Conseillante and facing Cheval Blanc and La Dominique.Robert Parker | 98+ RPA Pomerol of a different color, relying heavily on dense muscle and dark charcoal notes, with a core of fig, blackberry paste and blueberry reduction waiting in reserve. Very solid through the finish, displaying a thick ganache coating and extra loam, black licorice and dark fig notes rolling through. Best from 2017 through 2037. 3,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 97 WSConcentrated and closed on the nose, this has silky, seductive, finely-layered tannins, with tons of fruit and acidity providing the counterpoint. We are very definitely stepping up a level here, even among the extremely good quality wines that I am tasting. The depth and texture are striking, as are the exotic notes of anis and black peppercorns, and the whispers of iris and violet flowers as things open up in the glass. Such a lovely property, really showing what it can do.Decanter | 97 DECSuperb aromas of blackberry, blueberry, violets and citrus peel. Some oyster shell and dark chocolate. Full body, dense and powerful with chewy tannins and lots of rich fruit at the finish. Turns to walnut and dark berry. I love the texture and richness. A wine to follow for your lifetime. Just opening a little now.James Suckling | 96 JSGood medium ruby. Enticing aromas of dark plum, blackcurrant, coffee liqueur and cinnamon are lifted by an intense note of violet. Sweet, lush and round, combining a fine-grained texture and terrific focus thanks to vibrant but harmonious acidity. Finishes very long and pure, with ripe but still youthfully chewy tannins. This very attractive 2010 ought to evolve gracefully for decades.Vinous Media | 94 VM(Château l’Évangile) The 2010 Château l’Évangile is one of the big-boned wines in Pomerol in this vintage, with an alcohol content of 14.6 percent, due to eighty-eight percent of the blend this year being comprised of merlot. The wine offers up a very deep, complex and slightly overripe nose of black raspberries, black cherries, chocolate, a bit of new leather, some meaty tones, soil and spicy new oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and quite well-balanced for its high octane, but with a slightly marinated aspect to the fruit tones. The finish is very long, ripely tannic and tangy, but with both the substantial tannins and the tangy acids very well-integrated into the body of the wine. This will probably never be the most refined of vintages of Château l’Évangile, but if it can shed a bit of its overripe qualities with bottle age, it should place at the higher end of the scale. (Drink between 2020-2060)John Gilman | 87-92 JG