Château l'Evangile
The vintage
Merlot was without doubt the star grape of the 1995 vintage. Given that it is the predominant variety in Pomerol, there is a strong temptation to conclude that Pomerol was the "superstar" appellation of this year. This would be a little premature: there was, in fact, considerable variation within the appellation.
Some showers in mid-September disrupted the end of the ripening process, as they did throughout the Bordeaux region, but a little more here than elsewhere (135 mm of rain in September can hardly be without some effect!). These showers proved to be beneficial for many properties, enabling ripening that had slowed down in the dry weather to continue. However, it did not have the same effect everywhere. Although small, Pomerol is far from being a homogeneous appellation. Some sandy terroirs absorbed more of this rain than was needed, which led to the grapes swelling, especially on vines with relatively few bunches. And so, alongside full-bodied wines, there are diluted wines that already have a brownish hue, independently of the usual classics of this style, which prevent the vintage from being declared a total success.
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.
Grapes
Tasting
Very beautiful intense red colour. Fine and fruity nose. Seductive floral and black fruit aromas. The soft and subtle attack develops on violet and liquorice fruit flavours. It is a dense wine with good structure on a fairly fine woody.
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