1996 Château l'Évangile
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Tasting notes
The 1996 L'Evangile is deep in color. The nose seemed a little volatile to me with smudged licorice-tinged fruit and bacon fat. There might be a touch of brettanomyces here. The palate is fleshy on the entry, quite smooth but missing some structure with some drying on the finish. I don't find this vegetal, but it certainly comes across as an "animally" and "funky" Pomerol. I was perplexed by this showing (and this bottle came directly from the cellars andwas tasted at Lafite-Rothschild). While never a strong Right Bank vintage, it pales against recent vintages from this Pomerol estate. Tasted July 2016.
Critic scores
Wine Spectator
Robert Parker
More reviews and scores
Aromas of chocolate, blackberry and spices follow through to a full-bodied palate, with velvety tannins and a long chewy finish. Extremely well done for the vintage.--'95/'96 Bordeaux retrospective. Drink now. James Suckling,Wine Spectator 2007.
The 1996 l'Evangile will undoubtedly be a controversial wine. The wine gives the impression of being over-extracted in its dark ruby/purple color and notes of prunes, raisins, Chinese black tea, blackberries, and cherry liqueur. It is rich and powerful, as well as tannic and disjointed, but medium to full-bodied, with excellent richness, and a long, over-ripe finish. It may take a few years to round into shape, but this could turn out to be an outstanding wine. Anticipated maturity: 2003-2016.|| Wine Advocate.April, 1999
The 1996 L'Evangile is deep in color. The nose seemed a little volatile to me with smudged licorice-tinged fruit and bacon fat. There might be a touch of brettanomyces here. The palate is fleshy on the entry, quite smooth but missing some structure with some drying on the finish. I don't find this vegetal, but it certainly comes across as an "animally" and "funky" Pomerol. I was perplexed by this showing (and this bottle came directly from the cellars andwas tasted at Lafite-Rothschild). While never a strong Right Bank vintage, it pales against recent vintages from this Pomerol estate. Tasted July 2016. Oct 2016, www.robertparker.com
About the producer
Ch. l’Evangile is a leading Pomerol estate and the Right Bank sibling of Ch. Lafite Rothschild, part of the prestigious Domaines Barons de Rothschild group.