The purity of fruit in this is spellbinding now with blackberry and blueberry as well as violet undertones. Focused on intense yet subtle fruit. Full body, very tight yet textured and sexy. Ultra-fine tannins. The aftertaste of light chocolate and burnt orange peel is always subtle and bright. Needs at least another five or six years to open but already a joy to taste.

This takes a broader approach, with almost stolid tobacco and charcoal structure guarding the core of black currant, roasted fig and blackberry confiture flavors. Long and very fleshy, offering ample toast and searing singed iron notes, but terrific integration. Merlot in Cabernet clothing, with a long life ahead. JM

Served blind at the Southwold 2009 tasting. The L’Evangile is perhaps entering a broody patch, but it will ultimately become a brilliant Pomerol. It has a charming, gingerbread tinged bouquet with lively red berry fruit and Provencal herbs. The palate is medium-bodied with crisp acidity. It is more Merlot driven, though there is a fine tannic backbone and a line of graphite through the finish. All the constituent parts are in place and expect that score to rise in the future. Tasted January 2013.

[95M/5CF] Scented nose with an impression of 'ample' fruit; rich, full bodied Pomerol with a vivid acidity and firm tannic structure; to taste an exotic spice tinged, sweet black cherry fruit, pure, fragrant and fine; with a vibrant, vivid quality and excellent scented length. This is a wine packed with flavour, where the combination of high alcohol, high tannin and high acidity all reinforce each other to make for powerful, sinewy, slightly severe style; there is no asperity in the texture, but it is a firm, long term Evangile to put away for 12-15 years. 2025-40

An astonishing effort from the Rothschild family, the 2009 l’Evangile may be the reference point offering from this estate for decades to come. A blend of 95% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc aged in 100% new oak, with 15% natural alcohol, it exhibits a sumptuous bouquet of caramels, black raspberry liqueur, blackberries, violets, graphite and truffles. Thick, viscous flavors are reminiscent of such super-ripe vintages as 1982, 1959, 1949 and 1947. The striking aromatics, massive, full-bodied mouthfeel and multilayered palate that resembles a skyscraper in the mouth offer an abject lesson in great winemaking, extraordinary terroir, and the ability to combine power with precision, elegance and freshness. This is unquestionably a huge wine, but it also possesses mindboggling complexity and finesse. Because of its sheer extract and velvety personality, it will be drinkable in 4-5 years, and will keep for four decades or more where well-stored. The most profound L’Evangile ever made?

(96-100 pts)
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate 27/04/2010
The prodigious 2009 l’Evangile may be the greatest wine made at this estate during my 30+ years of tasting Bordeaux. Yields were 39 hectoliters per hectare, and the harvest was relatively long, with everything being picked at perfect maturity between September 11 and October 7. The estate is doing malolactic in barrel (a la Burgundy), and the final blend (95% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc) achieved 14.5% natural alcohol. Amazingly, this cuvee is aged in 100% new oak barrels, yet no oak is present in the aromas or flavors. Readers should think of it as a better, richer, fuller, more alcoholic version of the 1982 l’Evangile. Dense, full-bodied, and opaque purple-hued, it boasts an extraordinary bouquet of spring flowers, blueberries, blackberries, and boysenberries. A blue and black mountain fruit character suggests coolness, but an intensity and voluptuous texture present the paradox of 2009. The wine has all the characteristics of a hot vintage in terms of power, texture, and richness as well as elements of a cool vintage in its precision, elegance, freshness, and vibrancy. Make no mistake about it, this is an enormous wine that is incredible to taste. Frankly, I could have drunk the entire barrel sample if it hadn’t been my first appointment of the day (at 8:15 a.m.)! This wine should drink well for 30-40 years. Bravo! (Tasted once.)

The prodigious 2009 l'Evangile may be the greatest wine made at this estate during my 30+ years of tasting Bordeaux. Yields were 39 hectoliters per hectare, and the harvest was relatively long, with everything being picked at perfect maturity between September 11 and October 7. The estate is doing malolactic in barrel (a la Burgundy), and the final blend (95% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc) achieved 14.5% natural alcohol. Amazingly, this cuvee is aged in 100% new oak barrels, yet no oak is present in the aromas or flavors. Readers should think of it as a better, richer, fuller, more alcoholic version of the 1982 l'Evangile. Dense, full-bodied, and opaque purple-hued, it boasts an extraordinary bouquet of spring flowers, blueberries, blackberries, and boysenberries. A blue and black mountain fruit character suggests coolness, but an intensity and voluptuous texture present the paradox of 2009. The wine has all the characteristics of a hot vintage in terms of power, texture, and richness as well as elements of a cool vintage in its precision, elegance, freshness, and vibrancy. Make no mistake about it, this is an enormous wine that is incredible to taste. Frankly, I could have drunk the entire barrel sample if it hadn't been my first appointment of the day (at 8:15 a.m.)! This wine should drink well for 30-40 years. Bravo! (Tasted once.)