Wine Advisor
L'Evangile 1998
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
Based on the accolades I was hearing around Bordeaux about how profound l'Evangile was, I expected to be impressed. Admittedly, I was not bowled over to the extent some of my acquaintances were. The color is a saturated dark ruby, and the nose offers up tell-tale black raspberry scents along with dried herbs, licorice, and earth. Elegant and medium-bodied, with exceptional purity, outstanding concentration, and moderate tannin in the finish. Given the propensity of many Pomerols to behave like modern day versions of their 1975 counterparts, I cannot suggest that this offering is as profound as the great vintage of l'Evangile. Anticipated maturity: 2003-2020.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
A deep ruby/garnet colour. The Cabernet component is more pronounced here than it was two years ago: blackberry, graphite, sous-bois, cedar and a touch of damp moss. With time in glass it develops a touch of oyster shell. The palate is full-bodied, real density to it married with superb acidity but like L’Eglise-Clinet it is ferociously backward and demanding patience, years of the stuff. It does not quite have the tension or symmetry of the L’Eglise-Clinet whilst I would prefer more finesse towards the finish. But undoubtedly this needs another decade for it to mellow out, the finish dry and masculine, not dissimilar to a Chateau Latour. Tasted March 2008.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
This wine was disjointed when tasted in 1999, but in January it was singing beautifully, revealing an opaque purple color, a blueberry liqueur/floral-scented nose, mouth-saturating, concentrated blackberry and raspberry flavors, fabulous texture, wonderful richness, and a sweet, licorice and black fruit-infused finish. Complex and powerful, it will drink well early, and should last for two decades. Impressive! Anticipated maturity: 2003-2025
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
This has a ripe nose than the 2000 with raspberry and mocha notes, yet it does not explode, more curls up and hides away with aeration. Must be shy. The palate is very tight but with good acidity. Does not have the depth, nor indeed the ambition of the 2000 but it builds nicely with pure raisin and plum notes, leading to a sensuous finish. The more I taste this, the more I warm to it. Very impressive. Tasted September 2005.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
A blend of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc aged in 45% new oak, this terrific l'Evangile is stuffed with concentrated blackberry and raspberry fruit. There is also an acacia-like floral character that gives the wine even more complexity. Notes of toffee, licorice, and truffles add to the aromatic fireworks. The wine is full-bodied, with superb purity as well as moderate tannin in the finish. Anticipated maturity: 2003-2020+.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted from an ex-château bottle in London, the 1998 L'Evangile is turning into a splendid Pomerol. It has a very expressive bouquet with Cabernet Franc sitting prominently above the blackberry and dark cherry fruit, hints of tobacco and black truffle developing nicely. The palate is medium-bodied and just like the aromatics, beautifully defined. There is something sensual about this L'Evangile, which is normally one of the most structured wines from the Pomerol plateau. That initial burst of fruit is replaced by earthier Cabernet Franc notes towards the finish and these become more accentuated after 20-30 minutes in the glass. This is a Château L'Evangile that has more to give, so allow it another 4-5 years in the cellar. Tasted February 2016.
Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
Full 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.
Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
Deep ruby. Vibrant, high-pitched aromas of dark berries, iron, leather and fresh blood. Very firm and lively on the attack; dense but bright, with wild flavors of dark berries, minerals and game. Not quite as silky as the 2000 but sharply delineated and very long on the aftertaste, which hints at maple syrup and dark chocolate. Firm tannins coat the teeth.
Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
Deep ruby. Pure, perfumed aromas of cassis, black raspberry, violet and iron; complex and sweet. Big and sweet but quite graceful in the mouth, with firm acidity giving the flavors delineation and grip. Not at all a blockbuster in terms of sheer texture but very intensely flavored and juicy, and structured to age. Very long and fresh on the aftertaste, with fine tannins spreading out on the palate.
Reviewed by: Lisa Perrotti-Brown
Deep 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.
Reviewed by: James Suckling
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.
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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Package Size
1 x 3L12 x 75cl
