Blason de l'Evangile
The vintage
Conditions during 2015 were ideal. After a fairly mild winter, the vines’ growth cycle started normally in early April. Spring brought fine weather with gentle temperatures and relatively little rain. Flowering was fast and uniform, promising a plentiful harvest. The summer was magnificent with well-above average temperatures in July and light showers just when they were needed, creating conditions in which the vines were able to flourish. A very hot August was followed by a superb September. Some rain arrived just before the harvests, allowing the grapes to reach a perfect state of ripeness, and making this a truly exceptional vintage.
Location
Pomerol 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 typical clay soils of Pomerol allow this varietal to express like nowhere else in the world.
Terroir
Grapes selected for Blason are stemming from clay-sand and silty sand slopes with a clayey subsoil. These ligther soils allow for better root penetration and provide more regular and less limiting water supplies. The resulting wine is supple and elegant, lighter in style and more fruit driven than the Grand Vin, making it more accessible in its youth.
Winemaking
Alcoholic fermentation take place in temperature-controlled concrete vats, during which some gentle pumping-overs are carried out to enhance extraction. The wine is then left to macerate without external intervention.
Following maceration, 80% of the wine is transferred to French oak barrels that had held one wine, and 20% to vats for malolactic fermentation, and a maturation period of about 16 months.
Grapes
Tasting
This is an excellent vintage for Evangile; the nose is intense with toasted and vanilla-scented notes, accompanied by notes of fresh fruit, and black stone fruit.
On the palate, the wine has great intensity with very dense, silky, ripe tannins. The finish is long, powerful and particularly persistent.