CHÂTEAU L'ÉVANGILE
2023 Pomerol
A fascinating exercise in terroir, as this shows the same alcohol as the Blason, but the density, fruit character and even the IPT (tannin) count are very different. You see the impact of clay soils in the building of the powerful architecture and the plush damson and black cherry fruits. There is density but tenderness to the tannins, with grilled caramel that gives a beautiful Pomerol signature. Violet floral edging arrives towards the finish, as things open up, and this is an impressive L'Evangile that can age with ease. 42hl/h yield, a record in recent years here. Certified organic since 2021. Great stuff from technical director Juliette Couderc. Drinking range: 2029 - 2048 Rating: 96-100 Jane Anson, www.janeanson.com (May 2024)
75cl bottles (wood case of 6)
* This is a pre-shipment/primeur offer. All orders are accepted under the TERMS of this offer which differ from the terms of the rest of the site.
78 Merlot, 21 Cabernet Franc, 1 Cabernet Sauvignon 13.5% alc 45 hl/ha 3.7 pH Harvest was 4 - 28 September I was fortunate to taste at L’Evangile with Saskia de Rothschild and winemaker Juliette Couderc. It has been a running theme in my tasting notes that the glorious wines of the 2023 vintage could never have been so successful without repeated human intervention. I abhor the lines, ‘wine is made in the vineyard’ and ‘we did nothing, the wine just made itself’! Grapes are grown in the vineyard, and wine is made in a winery, and without seriously talented, dedicated, hard-working and experienced people, we would never have the sensational wines found hither and thither in the 2023 vintage. This is because multiple decisions had to be made throughout the year with accuracy and conviction, and the speed taken to deploy one’s actions determined the very best wines. At the top of our list of discussion points at Evangile were the pivotal decisions made during the growing season. Firstly, there were perfect flowering conditions, and they needed to control the vigour. In the end, three green harvests took place, which brought a possible gigantic yield of 60-70 hl/ha to a much more realistic but still remarkably generous 42 hl/ha. Mildew pressure was immense, too, but again, they brought it under control with extreme discipline and speed (on one occasion, spraying four times in one week). The gravel sectors in the vineyard came in first, with the younger vine Merlots starting on 4 September, and the blue clay plots waited until mid-September. Terroir dictated the sequence of harvesting, with the Cabernets coming last in perfect condition. At every step, humans threw the dice, knowing that they would win – and they did. The fruit and power explode on the nose here in a fanfare of Cabernet Franc lifted high onto the shoulders of the rock-steady Merlot. My mind raced back to the awe-inspiring 2022 vintage, and while that wine was calm and complete, this 2023 is active, challenging and shapeshifting, making you work to shadow it around the glass. Usually, Juliette and her team build this wine from a blue clay Merlot base, moulding Cabernet Franc around this central structure to create a final wine, but this year, Franc was so impressive that they started assembling the wine with twin pillars of Merlot and Cabernet Franc and the results are astounding. The tannins and the sense of place and earthiness are profound, giving this place a precise GPS flavour that makes it irresistible. With both varieties granted the same respect and importance, the result is a wine with an astonishing perfume, epic tension, and tremendous build quality. Like I say – made by humans, and in this instance, made by humans with elite skills. Rating: 19+ Matthew Jukes www.matthewjukes.com (May 2024)
The 2023 L’Évangile is sensual and plush in the glass. Silky, refined tannins wrap around a core of dark-toned fruit, spice, mocha, leather and dried flowers. This opens nicely, leading to an explosive, deep finish that is quite compelling. Élevage is 50% new oak, 27% once-used barrels, 15% 26hL cask and 8% amphora. It's another fine effort from the team led by Technical Director Juliette Couderc. Drinking range: 2030 - 2048 Rating: 94-96 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Apr 2024)
The blend of the grand vin is 21% Cabernet Franc and 79% Merlot. A beautiful nose, blackberry, currant and dark chocolate, with a bright, pure and linear definition to the fruit. The palate is very convincing, with a deliciously poised texture, velvety but with a sinewy frame, carrying dark and pure fruits, blackcurrant and even a touch of blueberry, sweet and polished, with savoury edges of tobacco, tar and liquorice, underpinned by a fine-grained substance, the tannins fresh and correct, helped by the reinforcing acidity. Very easy and comfortable in its own skin, but with pure fruit and delineated structure, this is a deceptive L’Évangile, harmoniously composed now but with a long grip of ripe tannins that says this will go for years. And then more years. Superb. The alcohol is 14.6% on analysis. Rating: 95-97 Chris Kissack, www.thewinedoctor.com (Apr 2024)
The 2023 L'Évangile was picked from September 4 to 28 at 42hL/ha, which is the highest for many years. Matured in 50% new oak (including 15 foudres) and 8% in amphoras (my sample only from used barrels), this has a very floral and precise bouquet with dark red fruit, blueberry, hints of blood orange and light sous-bois scents. It's very L'Evangile. The palate is medium-bodied with filigree tannins. Crisp and precise, there’s fine tension toward the finish with a lingering black pepper note. This is a lovely L'Évangile that deserves five or six years in bottle. It will be worth the wait. Drinking range: 2029 - 2055 Rating: 94-96 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Apr 2024)
Wafting from the glass with deep aromas of dark berries, spices, licorice and petals, framed by a sweet patina of new oak, the 2023 L'Evangile is medium to full-bodied, deep and layered, with a textural attack that segues into a supple, integrated core that's framed by sweet, powdery tannins. It's a blend of 78% Merlot, 21% Cabernet Franc and 1% Cabernet Sauvignon, checking in at 13.5% alcohol, that was harvested between September 4 and 28. Rating: 93-95 William Kelley, The Wine Advocate (Apr 2024)
A fine line of tannins runs through this medium- to full-bodied wine. Chocolate, walnut and lead pencil on very fine tannins. Classy and focused, providing elegance with strength. Tight at the end. 78% merlot, 21% cabernet franc and 1% cabernet sauvignon. Rating: 96-97 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Apr 2024)
Château L'Évangile
Sandwiched between Château Petrus to the north and Château Cheval Blanc to the south are the vineyards of Château l’Evangile. In the latter part of the 19th Century l’Evangile’s wines were rated as second only to Petrus, reflecting the glory of its illustrious neighbours.
Château l’Evangile’s origins lay in an estate called Domaine de Mautretat that was broken up in the early years of the 18th Century with a Mme Conseillan taking one part (that went on to be next-door neighbours Château Conseillante) with a reverend gentleman called M. Léglise purchasing the other, to be called Château Fazilleau until renamed l’Evangile – the Gospel – in the late 19th Century, presumably in keeping with having St Peter (Petrus) next door.
Today Château l’Evangile is owned by Domaines Baron de Rothschild (Lafite), they having purchased the estate in 1990 from the Ducasse family one of whose forebears, Paul Chaperon, had built the château in 1874. DBR have injected a whole new level of investment and improvement to once again raise l’Evangile to the very top echelon of Pomerol. The 22ha of vineyard and planted for the most part on an usual gravel band that runs through the more usual clay soil. They are planted with 79% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc and 1% Cabernet Sauvignon. The wines are aged in barrel for between 12 and 24 months, although in more recent vintages they, like many producers in France, have also used larger oak foudres, amphorae and concrete vats alongside the traditional barriques bordelaises of 225 l.
Please make sure that you have read the terms of this offer which are different from those on the main website. If you are unclear as to what is involved in primeur purchases please do contact our private client team via email or on 020 7018 0187.
Ordering
Prices are all in bond by the case size stated.
Pre-Orders are a firm commitment to buy wines on release, as long as the release price is within the upper and lower price bands set by you on the pre-order form. Pre-orders will be fulfilled subject to availability but providing this firm commitment to buy effectively gives you priority and is a good idea for the most desirable wines.
Wines listed on the website can be ordered in the usual way via the website wishlist order form. You can also send orders directly to our private client team via email. Please note that, for the most sought-after wines, priority will be given to those who ordered the same wines last year and to those that have pre-ordered.
Confirmation
All orders will be confirmed by email and are binding unless written cancellation is received within seven days of email confirmation. Pre-orders are not binding if the release price is above your upper price band.
Invoices are all raised at the in bond price (excluding any duty and VAT) which will become payable at the prevailing rates when the wines arrive in the UK, should you wish to take duty paid delivery.
Payment is required on sight of invoice, by cash, cheque, debit card or bank transfer. We regret we cannot accept credit cards for en primeur orders. We reserve the right to apply a dunning charge of 2% per month on invoices unpaid after 30 days.
Delivery
- Shipment to our bond (at LCB Creek Road) and insurance are included in the in bond price.
- Delivery is free to Lea and Sandeman / Elephant storage accounts, both duty paid and in bond.
- Other deliveries (In Bond and Duty Paid) are also free subject to a minimum order from the offer of £500. Orders below this total will be charged an administration and handling fee of £16.50+ VAT when invoices are issued. We will group deliveries and this is a charge for your entire purchases, not a per-case charge.
- Delivery of 2023 Bordeaux bought en primeur is expected during 2026. Delivery dates may vary as wines are shipped from Bordeaux at different times.
Practical notes - how it works
We start a sale in each customer's name and add all their primeur orders to one sale which is invoiced at the end of the campaign (or when the customer wishes). Immediate payment of invoices is then required by cash, cheque, debit card or bank transfer. We and our customers find that having a single invoice for the vintage is the simpler option but please note that confirmed orders are still binding even if the final invoice has not yet been issued.
Please specify on your wishlist order form where you would like the wines shipped on arrival in the UK. If this is to a third-party bonded warehouse, please specify the relevant account details. If the wines are required duty-paid we will issue a second invoice for duty and VAT at the prevailing rate when the wines are available for delivery.
Half-bottles, Magnums and larger bottles.
One of the additional advantages of buying en primeur is being able to order the wine in the format you want. While most of our listings are for 75cl bottles, we can source wines in any format that is offered by the Château. Please note that format requests cannot be changed once wines have been invoiced. Additional charges for special formats do apply and are as follows:-
- +£18.00 per case of 12 half-bottles
- +£30.00 per case of 24 half-bottles
- +£7.50 per case of 3 Magnums (2 bottles equivalent, 1.5 litres each)
- +£11.00 per case of 6 Magnums
- +£45.00 per individually boxed Double Magnum (4 bottles equivalent, 3 litres)
- +£60.00 per individually boxed Imperial (8 bottles equivalent, 6 litres) for Salmanazars, Balthazars, Nebuchadnezzars and Melchiors please enquire for availability and price.
Storage Options:
Wines bought en primeur won't arrive in the UK until 2026. If you do not wish to take home delivery at that point, you may wish to consider where you would like the wines shipped. Lea & Sandeman offers duty paid and in bond storage through a dedicated storage company called Elephant Storage. For more details on the terms and fees associated with storage please go to our Storage Homepage or contact our private client team for more information.