EVANGILE 2008

Exotic aromas of blackberries and roses. Orange peel and perfumes. Milk chocolate as well. Full-bodied, with a lovely texture of round tannins and a long, long finish. A beauty. Easily outstanding. 88 percent Merlot, 12 percent Cabernet Franc

(an 88/12 blend of merlot and cabernet franc; 14% alcohol; from a crop level of just 27 hectoliters per hectare, according to estate manager Jean-Pascal Vazart) Saturated medium-deep ruby. Rather oaky, chocolatey nose hints at a very dense wine. Actually lighter on entry than expected, with ripe blackcurrant and balsamic black cherry flavors. Displays higher-than-usual acidity for this wine, and a distinctly peppery, long finish with a late kick of youthful but smooth tannins and more than a trace of alcohol. The cabernet franc was deemed to be so successful in '08 that it all went into the grand vin, so the second wine, Blason d'Evangile, is a rare 100% merlot.

Chocolate and berry and rich with gorgeous nose. Plums and berries. Full...

Tasted ex-château and single blind in Southwold. Like Château Lafleur, this wine detests blind tastings and often comes across as rather "curmudgeonly", deprived of its due attention apropos decanting etc. Unsurprisingly, the l'Evangile 2008 is a little reticent on the nose: floral red fruit, very Merlot dominated with no Cabernet Franc. It opens nicely in the glass and shows real precision. The palate has a touch of piquancy on the entry, sharp citric acidity, nice tension even though it is just a little abrasive towards the finish. It is pinched at the moment but it should open up and indeed, a second bottle was more animated and tense. Tasted January 2012.