Château L'Evangile - Pomerol 2012 6b11bd6ba9341f0271941e7df664d056

Wine Advocate

94 / 100

byRobert Parkerthe4/1/2015

This dark ruby/plum Pomerol offers up sweet black cherry and blackcurrant fruit, velvety tannin, medium to full body, and a nice lushness and silkiness. A beauty with great fragrance and suppleness, it’s not enormously endowed, as a great vintage would be, but it is certainly an outstanding wine and a brilliant effort from ’Evangile in 2012. Drink it over the next 15 years.

Jamessuckling.com

93 / 100

byJames Sucklingthe2/15/2015

Lots of mineral, black chocolate and crushed raspberry character. Full-bodied, yet tight and reserved with pretty mineral, chalk and light salty character that turns to spices and blackberries. Better in 2019 but already gorgeous. Always like this.

Wine Spectator

94 / 100

byJames Molesworththe2/10/2015

A dense, dark, woodsy style, with loads of tobacco, charcoal and tar holding sway over steeped plum, black currant and Black Mission fig flavors. Shows a serious graphite bolt on the finish, along with a tug of dark earth. A rather powerful rendition of Pomerol that will need some time to stretch out fully. Best from 2018 through 2032. 3,000 cases made. –JM

Wine Spectator

94 / 100

the1/7/2015

A dense, dark, woodsy style, with loads of tobacco, charcoal and tar holding sway over steeped plum, black currant and Black Mission fig flavors. Shows a serious graphite bolt on the finish, along with a tug of dark earth. A rather powerful rendition of Pomerol that will need some time to stretch out fully. Best from 2018 through 2032.—J.M.

timatkin.com

93 / 100

byTim Atkin MWthe6/30/2013

Deeply coloured, very oaky and showing an undertone of Mediterranean herbs, this is a wine that tastes like no other in 2012. There are notes of sandalwood and spice, plump blackberry and black cherry fruit, good acidity and a dry, balsamic note. An interesting wine, but not reaching the quality of the 2010. Drink: 2020-30

Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar

90-92 / 100

byIan D'Agatathe6/29/2013

(93% merlot and 7% cabernet franc; 31 h/h; 73% grand vin): Very deep purple-ruby.  Intense aromas of cassis, plum, bay leaf, minerals and aromatic herbs.  Beautiful silky texture on entry, then wonderfully supple in the middle, with the blueberry and blackcurrant syrup flavors lingering impressively on the back end.  Finishes with rising but smooth tannins and a trace of heat, but this is an extremely successful wine. The very old cabernet franc vines (now 46 years old) ripened well while all the young vines went into the second wine, Blason d'Evangile, which is sold to just three clients and therefore is no longer shown at the Primeurs.  

Le Point

17 / 20

byJacques Dupontthe5/16/2013

Fruits noirs, cerise, bouche ronde, assez vive malgré l'alcool, puissant, garni, velouté, finale sur des notes fruitées, bons tanins, belle matière. O= 2017 G= 12 ans

Wine Advocate

94-96 / 100

byNeal Martinthe5/6/2013

In 2012 there is only a small quantity of Blason de L’Evangile. Flowering meant there was only 31hl/ha and 73% of the crop went into the Grand Vin. The Merlot was picked between 20th September and 9th October and the Cabernet Franc from 6th to the 8th October, between which on only eight days did pickers go out with their secateurs. Of the parcels originating from their purchase of La Croix de Gay, three hectares was blended into Blason whilst one hectare situated between Lafleur and Providence was good enough for the Grand Vin. A blend of 93% Merlot and 7% Cabernet Franc, almost identical to the previous vintage and delivering a relatively high 14.4% alcohol, it has a finely tuned, forest floor-scented bouquet with crisp red berry fruit – quite conservative but showing impressive delineation. The palate is medium-bodied with a tense, saline entry. This is a typical masculine L’Evangile – broody and introspective at the moment. There are clearly sweet tannins at the core of this Pomerol legend but it will demand several years in bottle to come round. Tasted April 2013.

Wine Spectator

92-95 / 100

byJames Molesworththe4/30/2013

Fleshy and unctuous, with dark plum and steeped currant fruit, rounded out by a healthy dose of toast and a long, charcoal-filled finish. Shows serious weight for the vintage. Tasted non-blind. —J.M.

matthewjukes.com

19 / 20

byMatthew Jukesthe4/30/2013

Ultra-polished and melodic with deft leafy highlights punctuating the incredible Merlot chassis.

Jancis Robinson

17,5 / 20

byJulia Harding MWthe4/29/2013

Drink 2020-2032
93% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc. 73% of the wine went into the grand vin. 14.4% alcohol (15% in 2010, 13.9% in 2011), pH 3.7. Work in vineyard paying off: drainage for the heavy clay parts of the estate.
Rich and inky colour. Definite mineral overlay on the dark fruit, adding freshness. and there's a hint of exotic spice and delicate complexity. Dense and rich and juicy. Already harmonious though with the structure to age. Finishes fresh and refreshing, quite surprising given the alcohol. Very good length and plenty of tannin but refined in texture so will certainly become velvety. (JH) 14.4%

My Bettane + Desseauve

18,5 / 20

the4/27/2013

Rond, fruité, finement épicé, grande texture raffinée mais aussi beaucoup de muscle et d’intensité. Avec 93 % de merlot, l’Évangile a trouvé son rythme, grand équilibre sculptural, raffiné.

Wine Advocate

90-94 / 100

byRobert Parkerthe4/26/2013

The 2012 is an outstanding effort displaying copious quantities of black raspberry and blackberry fruit intermixed with hints of camphor, black truffles and subtle new oak. Opulent, round and generously endowed with impressive purity as well as a forward style, it should drink well young yet age for 12-15 years.

Administrator Pascal Vazart told me the rain that occurred at the end of September broke the hydric stress and drought-like conditions that had existed in this vineyard since mid-July. During that period, there was no rain, but lots of sunshine, which was beginning to cause serious issues with vineyards planted on sand and gravelly soils. The fruit for the 2012 l’Evangile was harvested between September 20 and October 9. It is composed of 93% Merlot and 7% Cabernet Franc that achieved a lofty 14.3% alcohol level. The finished pH is 3.7, which no doubt accounts for the wine’s smooth, velvety personality. No one will confuse the 2012 with their 2009 or 2010.
Drink: 2013 - 2028

The Wine Cellar Insider

94-96 / 100

byJeff Levethe4/26/2013

The Merlot was picked from September 20 through October 9. The Cabernet Franc was harvested over 2 days, October 6 and October 8. From a blend of 93% Merlot with 7% Cabernet Franc, this is one of the highest percentages of Merlot in the estate’s history. However, this was not due to the lack of ripeness in the Cabernet Franc. Much of the Cabernet Franc was replanted starting in 2006. It is expected that the estate will be using closer to 20% Cabernet Franc in the blend starting in 2020. The wine reached 14.4% alcohol with a pH of 3.7. Yields were low at 31 hectoliters per hectare. Deep ruby in color, the wine exudes truffle, chocolate, plum liqueur, tobacco, smoke, roses and cherries. On the palate, the wine is pure silk and velvet in texture with volume, depth and length. Picture chocolate-covered cherries that you can eat, or drink, your choice. 94-96 Pts

Decanter.com

17,25 / 20

the4/22/2013

Fruity and expressive. Plenty of dense, juicy fruit. Round and harmonious although there's a little warmth on the finish (14.4% alcohol). Structured. Perhaps misses a bit of nuance. 17.25/20pts ( 90+/100pts)
Drink: 2019 - 2028
Taster: James Lawther MW

Jean-Marc QUARIN

16-16,25 / 20

byJean-Marc Quarinthe4/9/2013

Couleur sombre, de bonne intensité. Nez frais, fruité et discret. Vin soyeux en bouche, avec du goût, un beau toucher, un corps normal et des arômes de fruits mûrs. Bonne finale séveuse et savoureuse,  sans angle tannique. Difficile à cracher ! Assemblage : 93 % merlot et 7 % cabernet franc. Rendement : 31 hl/ha, sélection 73 % de premier vin. Degré d'alcool : 14°4, pH : 3,7, IPT : 70.

Jamessuckling.com

94-95 / 100

byJames Sucklingthe4/4/2013

A wine with plenty of deep fruit, spices and hazelnut character. Lovely fruit. Full-bodied, with lovely silky tannins and a long, long finish. So much going on here. Elegance with strength and structure. 93% Merlot and 7% Cabernet Franc.