2007 Evangile

Medium ruby-red. Plum, redcurrant, spices, pipe tobacco, caramel and dried flowers on the ripe nose. Then sweet and silky in the mouth, with intense dark cherry and licorice flavors nicely framed by sound acids and smooth tannins. Just a hint of herbal cabernet franc to indicate the vintage. In a cooler style, and already accessible.

This dark ruby-colored, medium-weight l’Evangile exhibits creamy blackberry and raspberry fruit, a superficial attack, but plenty of charm, silky tannin, and low acidity make for a delicious wine to drink over the next 7-8 years.

(86% merlot and 14% cabernet franc) Good deep red-ruby. Aromas of black raspberry, bitter chocolate, minerals and licorice; this smells ripe. The palate offers lovely sucrosite and floral lift to the rather voluptuous, enveloping flavors, with slightly edgy acidity giving the wine a penetrating quality. The firm tannins seem a bit abrupt, but the finish shows an enticing chocolatey ripeness. The fruit here came in with potential alcohol in the fairly high 13.5% range, noted estate manager Vazart, who told me that a saignee of just 3% was done.