Château l'Evangile
The vintage
The century ended with an early harvest, as in 1999. The wet spring was followed by a beautiful hot dry summer, leading to a slow steady maturation.
June and July were not ideal months as they were wet with cool temperatures favoring diseases on the vines. From August onwards, the weather was dry with heat waves, requiring the harvests to start on 15 September for the first Merlots.
Location
The Pomerol appellation stretches on a plateau on the right bank of the Dordogne river, about 40km north east of Bordeaux. In Pomerol, merlot is king. The characteristics of Pomerol’s clay soil give to this varietal an expression like nowhere else in the world.
Terroir
L’Evangile’s vineyard covers 22 hectares at the heart of the Pomerol plateau, sharing the appellation’s best terroirs with two other prestigious properties. Here, through a mystery of geology, the heavy green clay soils are covered by a bed of gravel. These high quality soils are the source of the estate’s great merlot, and the secret of Chateau l’Evangile’s extraordinary power and depth.
Winemaking
Alcoholic fermentation took place in temperature-controlled concrete vats and lasted for about 10 days. Pumping over and maceration times were adjusted for each vat, according to the terroir and the maturity of the tannins. Total maceration times were of 27 days on average for the merlot and 28 days for the cabernet franc. After maceration, the wine was transferred in new oak barrels for the malolactic fermentation, followed by 19 months of ageing. The barrels are made by the Tonnellerie des Domaines Barons de Rothschild (Lafite) in Pauillac.
Tasting
The sure but slow ripening of the grapes has resulted in the creation of a fine wine which is supple and silky. It presents a black color, a deep nose and in the mouth it is fleshy, long and robust. It has a fine and velvety texture. A great vintage with long ageing potential.
Alcohol content
13.5
Grapes
Merlot
: 91 %
Cabernet franc
: 9 %