Chateau L'Evangile, Pomerol 2024

Wow. This is really something for the vintage. Such a long finish, while being subtle and sophisticated with wonderfully silky tannins that are so fine and very long. It's medium-bodied with a beautiful, compact palate from the beginning to the end, including the mid-palate. The finish shows walnut, hazelnut and dark-chocolate character. Exceptional. 80% merlot and 20% cabernet franc.

Fragrant and dark, chocolate, vanilla, cherry, plum and liquorice scents with subtle floral notes too. Concentrated and sleek, this has a lovely texture and sense of completeness from the start. Tannins are very gently plump giving a round, almost filling expression with crystalline and pure black fruit and super fine, powdery almost mineral tannins. So well constructed, not shouting, but equally there’s nothing light about this wine. Sophisticated and really refined but still with power. They harnessed the natural power and leant into the vintage with delicacy and livelines. 3.65pH. A yield of 22hl/ha. No press wine. In organic.

Looking at the Grand Vin, the 2024 Château L'Evangile is a blend of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc aging in 50% new oak, 25% foudre, 8% in amphora, and the rest in used barrels. It's a smoking effort with a deep ruby/purple hue as well as a stunning Pomerol bouquet of red and blue fruits, damp earth, smoky tobacco, and lead pencil. Playing in the medium-bodied end of the spectrum, it's beautifully balanced, has a layered, elegant mid-palate, and ripe, firm, yet polished tannins. It's one hell of an impressive 2024!

The 2024 L'Évangile was picked from September 18 to October 2. This has a "cool" bouquet with blackberry and bilberry scents and a little marine influence with a hint of oyster shell. The palate is medium-bodied with expressive Cabernet that imparts subtle graphite and tobacco notes. Again, this is fresh, quite structured, not long and perhaps a little tannic on the finish, but it will flesh out during its élevage in 50% new oak.

Savoury plum, soft tannins, a touch of chalk, graphite, lovely fragrant florals, and extremely finessed. A wine that will age with grace. In the cellar, this was one of their longest macerations on record, up to 28 days, carefully measured, Harvest 18 September to 2 October, 22hl/h yield. Zero press wine, 45% new oak for ageing, plus 25% in large oak casks, 7% amphora. Juliette Couderc winermaker. Blason de l’Evangile is not being sold En Primeur.

Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2024 l’Evangile leaps with vibrant notes of kirsch and black raspberries with underlying suggestions of wild thyme, lavender, and mossy tree bark. The medium-bodied palate delivers refreshing red berry and savory flavors with a lively line and a pleasant chewiness to the tannins, finishing with a real skip in its step.

The 2024 L'Evangile has turned out beautifully, reflecting this estate's recent evolution (refining barrel choices and integrating foudre into the cellar) and its comparatively young vineyard's propensity to perform well in years with minimal hydric stress. Offering up aromas of cassis and blackberries mingled with notions of violets and black tea, it's medium to full-bodied, lively and layered, with a velvety attack, good depth at the core and a persistent finish. This blend of 80% Merlot, 19% Cabernet Franc and 1% Cabernet Sauvignon attained 13.5% alcohol.

The 2024 L'Évangile offers good up-front intensity but then loses some of its depth on the mid-palate and finish. Black fruit, espresso, licorice, cloves and mocha confer an impression of gravitas. Élevage is 50% new oak, 25% foudre, 8% amphora and the rest in once-used barrels. Something about the oak profile does not feel optimal, as if the oak is mismatched to the wine. Élevage will be critical here, as the 2024 is quite forbidding at this stage. Even so, this is strong showing in a challenging year for a vineyard with relatively young vines that was largely replanted between 2002 and 2010.