Fully saturated ruby. Broad, pure aromas of black fruit syrup, licorice, cocoa, roast coffee and candied violet. Dense, creamy and impressively deep, showing a velvety texture and noteworthy sweet ripeness to its ultra-concentrated black and blue fruit flavours. Impeccably balanced and downright plush, you can tell 2011 was a hot year. That said, the tannins are splendidly polished, and the very long, lush, suave finish is a marvel. I prefer my wines on the side of refinement and nuance rather than that of opulence and lusciousness, but it’s hard to argue with how good this wine is. Drinking window: now-2040. Ian D'Agata Terroirsense.com Feb 2021

A dark, grippy, structured version, with a strong charcoal spine running through the core of dark fig, steeped plum and black currant fruit. Loam and bittersweet cocoa notes check in on the finish, endowed with ample buried acidity. Should stretch out pleasantly, but this will need a little more time than most other 2011 Pomerols to round into form. Best from 2017 through 2027. – James Molesworth (WineSpectator.com, March 2014)

L'Evangile is a genuinely beautiful property with some stunningly high-tech equipment. Tasting right in the heart of the chai was dramatic and the is clearly extremely well made - balanced, focused and correct with plenty of dense, ripe fruit and a finely-knit, supple texture… it's certainly made to a style and for some it will be spot-on, especially if the natural ‘crunch’ of this vintage is not to your usual tastes. An example of how differently the 2011 vintage can be translated by winemakers.

Tasted en primeur at the property with Jean-Pascal Vazart. The L’Evangile 2011 is a blend of 94% Merlot and 6% Cabernet Franc picked between 6th with the young vines and 21st September and 19th to 21st September respectively cropped at 32hl/ha. It has 13.6 degrees alcohol and a pH of 3.7, an IPT of 76. As usual, this cru is always taciturn at first and so I leave my sample for a few minutes before writing any notes. It has a voluptuous, sensual bouquet with pure vanillary red berry fruit that reminds me of the 1995. The palate is medium-bodied with a nubile texture with supple toasty red fruit that is struck through with crisp acidity and a fine coca-tinged off-dry finish that displays persistency and a pastille-like residual sweetness. – eRobertParker.com, May 2012

A young 2011 with lots of wood on the nose and plenty of plum character. Full to medium body, with velvety tannins and medium-fruity finish. Very polished texture. Try in 2015. – jamessuckling.com, Feb 2014

(94% merlot with 6% cabernet franc; 76 IPT; 4 g/l total acidity; a 73% selection for the grand vin; 100% new oak; 13.5% alcohol): Good full, deep red. Aromatically pure nose offers scents of black cherry, blackcurrant, spices and minerals. Sweet, dense and suave if currently a bit youthfully withdrawn, conveying excellent tension and grip thanks to nicely integrated acidity. Finishes very long, with mounting, rather austere tannins. A bit forbidding today but has the stuffing to age well. The harvest occurred over the usual 15 days, but started ten days earlier than usual: the merlot was picked on September 6-7 and 13-21, and the cabernet franc between September 19 and 21.

The grand vin, the 2011 l’Evangile exhibits a dark ruby color with purple nuances as well as noticeable acidity, a streamlined, crisp, elegant, mid-weight style, red and black fruits, light tannin and a fresh, vibrant mouthfeel. It is a blend of 94% Merlot and 6% Cabernet Franc. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2025. By the way, this 55-acre estate is now slightly larger than when the Rothschilds first acquired it as they have purchased 15 acres from La Croix de Gay.

Jean-Pascal Vazart, second in command to Charles Chevallier, describes the wine as fruity and expressive. It does have plenty of fruit but I found it more expressive on the palate than on the nose at the moment. 6% Cabernet Franc, 94% Merlot. Very dark crimson with dark cherry rim and black core. Dark and savoury – both fruit and oak flavours - and the tannins are fine but pretty dense. Quite unexpectedly juicy in the middle (like a dark chocolates with a liquid fruit centre) but then markedly dark fruited on the finish. Lively though dark. Good length, too. Nice balance between density of tannins and liveliness. Finishes fresh. Drink: 2020-2030 - – Julia Harding (jancisrobinson.com, April 2012)