Wine Advisor
L'Evangile 1994
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Certainly one of the better 1994 wines. A deep colour for a 1994 with very little sign of ageing. An attractive, slightly stalky nose with a touch of black truffle and decayed leaves. The palate has good definition, though muted at first and takes some coaxing. The Cabernet Franc is pronounced on the mid-palate with a savory/dried blood element. Leafy, masculine almost austere finish. Still a commendable wine. Drink now and over 5-7 years. Tasted September 2005.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
This brilliant estate, adjacent to La Conseillante, Petrus, and Vieux-Chateau-Certan, has turned in exemplary efforts in 1993-95. One of the vintage's most notable successes, L'Evangile's 1994 possesses a dense, saturated purple color, followed by a gorgeously sweet nose of framboise/cassis, with mineral and licorice notes in the background. This medium to full-bodied wine reveals a seamless, opulent texture, fabulous purity to its layers of fruit, as well as superb extraction and equilibrium. This terrific wine is one of the few 1994s that has most of its tannin concealed by the wine's wealth of fruit. It is a gorgeous L'Evangile. Anticipated maturity: 2001-2020.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
One of the vintage’s most notable successes, l’Evangile’s 1994 has a dense plum/ruby color, a sweet nose of licorice, black raspberry, and currant with a hint of roasted herbs and damp soil. Medium to full-bodied, very opulent, it has considerable richness in the front end and mid-section. Like most of the best 1994s, the one defect is the lack of sweetness and the relatively dry, tannic finish. Nevertheless, this is top-notch stuff from a vintage that provides many good surprises, although the style of the wines tend to be relatively firm, muscular, and structured. Anticipated maturity: Now-2020. Last tasted, 10/02.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
L'Evangile's 1994 is one of the vintage's most impressive wines. It is a wine of extraordinary complexity, exhibiting a dark purple color, and an expressive, fragrant, penetrating bouquet of pure black-raspberries and minerals. Medium to full-bodied, with superb purity, this is a classic example of just how seductive a young Pomerol can be. There are no hard edges to this silky-textured, rich, complex wine. Everything from acidity to tannin is beautifully well-integrated. It will drink remarkably well after several years of bottle age and last for 18-20 years. Last year I thought the wine to be more tannic and larger-framed, but after tasting it three times in March, it seems less powerful, but even more ravishingly beautiful and alluring. Readers who wonder why some commentators have referred to Pomerol as the "Burgundy of Bordeaux," need only check out the expansive, perfumed, irresistible 1994 and 1995 offerings! All of the wines in this segment were tasted between March 19 and March 28 in Bordeaux. Most of the important wines from both the 1994 and 1995 vintages were tasted three separate times during my ten-day stay in Bordeaux.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
L'Evangile's 1994 is an awesome effort that may rival, perhaps eclipse the 1990. The only other L'Evangile it appears to resemble is the 1975 - a great wine in an irregular vintage. The 1994 displays a saturated purple color, and a huge nose of violets, cassis, licorice, and minerals, with no evidence of new oak. Massive on the palate, with extraordinary concentration, high tannin, low acidity, and a dazzlingly long finish that lasts for nearly a minute, this is a wine of outstanding richness and impressive structure. I do not believe it will be flattering to drink young. It will require 10-12 years of cellaring and keep for 30+ years. A tour de force in winemaking!
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
This brilliant estate, adjacent to La Conseillante, Petrus, and Vieux-Chateau-Certan, has turned in exemplary efforts in 1993-95. One of the vintage's most notable successes, L'Evangile's 1994 possesses a dense, saturated purple color, followed by a gorgeously sweet nose of framboise/cassis, with mineral and licorice notes in the background. This medium to full-bodied wine reveals a seamless, opulent texture, fabulous purity to its layers of fruit, as well as superb extraction and equilibrium. This terrific wine is one of the few 1994s that has most of its tannin concealed by the wine's wealth of fruit. It is a gorgeous L'Evangile. Anticipated maturity: 2001-2020.
Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
1995 L'Evangile (aged in 42% new oak, a bit higher than average for this property): Deep ruby-purple color. Pristine, minerally, sappy, black and blue fruit nose, with a floral, violety cabernet franc aspect. Creamy-rich in the mouth, but clearly delineated and firmly structured; offers great depth of chocolatey fruit. Great persistence on the palate, with very fine tannins currently buried in fruit. Combines the tendresse of the '85 with the tannic structure of the '89, says Marchive.
About the Producer
Chateau L'Evangile is one of the most famous châteaux in the Pomerol region of Bordeaux, France. In the mid-18th century, Chateau L'Evangile was owned by the Leglise family of Libourne, and its name, "Fazilleau", was recorded in the 1741 land register. At the beginning of the 19th century, the estate was bought by a lawyer named Isambert and renamed Chateau L'Evangile. Evangile is the French word for "gospel", and the renamed estate lived up to its name, becoming a true "gospel" of the Pomerol region. In 1862, Paul Chaperon acquired Chateau L'Evangile and made it famous through a series of efforts to give it a distinctive Second Empire style of architecture. In the second edition of Cocks Et Feret in 1868, Chateau L'Evangile was listed as a Premier Cru in the Haut-Pomerol region. After Chabron's death, his daughter inherited the estate, which she then brought to her husband's family, the Ducasse family, who ran the estate until 1990. In 1990, the estate was acquired by Domaines Barons de Rothschild Lafite. Immediately after taking over, the group began a comprehensive reform and upgrading of the estate. The first steps included a more careful selection of the grapes used to make the main wine and the creation of Blason de L'Evangile, Pomerol, France, as a secondary wine. In addition, the renovation measures included a comprehensive reorganization plan: delaying the harvest as much as possible so that the grapes would be as ripe as possible, and controlling yields to a maximum of 4,500 liters per hectare in order to improve the quality of the vines, which was partially completed in 1998. 2004 saw the completion of the renovation of the winery and cellars, and the creation of a new layout for the estate. These vintages produced wines of excellent quality. Chateau L'Evangile is located in a unique location. The vineyard covers 22 hectares of sandy clay and gravel soils with a high iron content subsoil. The vineyard is planted with 80% Merlot and the remaining 20% Cabernet Franc. The vineyard's production is limited, and harvesting and many other tasks are done by hand. The winery employs Michel Rolland, the famous "flying winemaker", as a winemaking consultant. Under the management of the Lafite Group, the grapes from each parcel are divided into different lots in order to determine their potential for full-fledged wines at the final stage of fermentation. All aspects of the winemaking process are closely integrated with traditional techniques and proven modern technologies. During the fermentation process, the winery performs drenching and maceration, during which the wine is tasted several times. After fermentation, the wines are aged in oak barrels for 18 months. Due to the small size of the vineyard, the average annual production of the winery is 5,000 cases. Robert Parker, the famous wine critic, has praised Le Vin de Guignol as the "star of the future" of Pomerol and believes that it has the potential to grow even more under the leadership of Lafite. A book published many years ago, Grands Vins de Bordeaux, described the wines produced by the Rocquières as "full-bodied, elegant, and with unparalleled finesse."
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