A pure, creamy and well-structured yet very fine Evangile. Long and caressing. Very fine tannins. Lots of fresh dark fruit and savory, mineral character. Understated and classy. 69% merlot, 30% cabernet franc and 1% cabernet sauvignon.
May 2022

The 2021 L'Évangile was picked September 21 to October 4, and matured in 50% new oak and 15% in clay amphora. It registers 14.0% alcohol and a pH of 3.65. This is very different and, unsurprisingly, far superior on the nose of black cherries, black truffle, crushed stone and a touch of orange peel; very focused and very Pomerol. The palate is medium-bodied, cohesive and elegant with supple tannins and fine acidity, yet there is real depth and a sense of nascent energy toward the finish. The young Cabernet Franc on gravel soils from the Chantecaille lieu-dit absolutely defines this 2021. A great success for this reenergized estate.
Neal Martin, Vinous, May 2022

The 2021 L'Évangile is a heady, sensual wine. Silky and pliant, with fabulous balance, L'Évangile is a stand-out. The blend includes 30% Cabernet Franc, high for the château, but what really stands out is the wine's balance. Red/purplish fruit, blood orange, rose petal and spice are all wrapped together by silky, pliant tannins. Franc aromatics and saline underpinnings extend the finish. Élevage is 50% new oak, 35% one year-old barrels and 15% amphora. Readers will find a super-classic Évangile that has tons of potential. I loved it.
Antonio Galloni, Vinous, May 2022

A blend of 70% Merlot and 30% Cabernet Franc (which is more Cabernet Franc than usual), the 2021 Château L'Evangile is a beautiful effort that I'd put up with the crème de la crème of the vintage. Blue fruits, cassis, violets, tobacco, and subtle chocolaty oak all define the aromatics, and it has medium to full-bodied richness, a layered, multi-dimensional mouthfeel, beautiful tannins, and just about flawless overall balance. Brought up mostly in barrel, with a splash in amphora, this beauty shines for its purity and elegance, and the higher Cabernet Franc component really shows with time in the glass.

Unfurling in the glass with aromas of dark cherries and berries mingled with notions of licorice, black truffle, rose petal and iris, the 2021 L'Evangile is medium to full-bodied, fleshy and enveloping, with a broad and textural attack that segues into a charming, succulent mid-palate framed by sweet, powdery tannins. This saw only two rackings, and some 15% matured in amphora, with the rest in barriques that are less toasty than in the past; the result of these and other initiatives is a much more timeless expression of this property. Bottled in May 2023.

Dark ruby colour, curling aromatics of gunsmoke and violet, a touch of rose petal with chalky tannins, this is full of savoury dark fruits with liqourice, cloves, smoked earth and black truffle, showing finesse and balance. Harvest September 21 to October 4. No chaptilisation. 50% new oak, 15% amphora, 3.6ph. Careful work over ageing with a reduced number of coopers (brought down to four from nine). This is their first organic-certified vintage, and first year with Juliette Couderc as technical director from beginning to end of the growing season.

Smells concentrated and quite bold, more of a heady nose, dark fruits and gorgeous perfumed Cabernet aspects. Succulent and juicy, a really appealing and charming palate, juiciness but density too, you get plump fruit here rather than a piercing focus giving more of a mouthful than some others but still with a detail to the fine tannins, the ripe fruit, cherry and blackcurrant and plum with a long finish. Sustained on the palate, this doesn't let up, slowly building from start to finish giving a cool, delicate, refined palate but still with grippy maintaining attention. You can tell they got full ripeness here, but there's also this lovely cooling, slate aspect - the soft chalkiness that comes in on the finish. I like this - the initial intensity, directness of black fruit and then the chalk texture. Feels nicely complete and one of the larger, more dense wines this vintage. A yield of 20hl/ha with all the Cabernet Sauvignon going into the grand vin. Juliette Couderc technical director. First year certified organic.

A good example of how skilful winemaking adapts to conditions - all the Cabernet Sauvignon has gone into the 1st wine this year because it achieved plenty of natural concentration, while recently it has been put into Blason because it took away from the elegance of the 1st wine. Savoury, supple black and blue fruits, austere but with sapidity and juice, and a gorgeous wash of campfire smoke, salted caramel, liquorice, cloves and saffron spices. 20hl/h yield after mildew. This is their first organic-certified vinified, and first year with Juliette Couderc as technical director from beginning to end of the growing season. Harvest September 21 to October 4. No chaptilisation. 50% new oak, 15% amphora, 3.6ph.
Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux, May 2022

A blend of 69% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Franc and 1% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2021 L'Evangile offers up aromas of plums, cherries and wild berries mingled with notions of rose petals, violets, licorice and tobacco leaf. Medium to full-bodied, ample and velvety, with fine concentration and rich, powdery structuring tannins that assert themselves on the finish, this estate's rather low average vine age meant Evangile didn't suffer much from coulure this year, and the rainy growing season also spared young Cabernet Franc from hydric stress—explaining its historically high percentage in the 2021 blend.
William Kelley, April 2022

Smoky, deep, rich, almost bacon fat character with ripe plum and black cherry - considerably more ripeness and power on the nose than some. Real depth and intensity up front with lots of rich plum and wild raspberry characters, framed by firm clay-etched tannins and lifted by good freshness. It's not a long wine, somewhat characteristic of the vintage, but has some charm and a good Evangile character of power and structure.
April 2022

The move towards more elegance and finesse confirmed. Floral violet notes. Crunchy fruit and tannins that provide length and persistence. Lovely texture with freshness as well. Harmonious. (JL)
Drink 2028 – 2040
Jancisrobinson.com, May 2022