Reconnecting with Excellence: Château L'Evangile

In October 2025, during our third day exploring the right bank of Bordeaux, my wife Dio and I visited Château L'Evangile in Pomerol for a vineyard tour and tasting. Having met and gotten to know winemaker Juliette Couderc earlier in the year at Vinous Icons in New York, it was wonderful to reconnect with her on her home turf and experience the estate firsthand. The visit provided fascinating insights into Pomerol's unique terroir, especially the rare blue clay soil that makes wines from this tiny appellation so distinctive.

Stay tuned for a forthcoming blog post at heavypourwine.com featuring pictures and videos from our visit.

• 2022 Château L'Evangile Blason de l'Evangile 93 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol

  First visit to Château L'Evangile in Pomerol with winemaker Juliette Couderc. Blason de L'Évangile is the estate's second wine. Juliette explained during the tour how the vineyard shares the rare blue clay soil found in only 40 hectares of Pomerol's 800-hectare appellation, with Château L'Evangile holding 4 hectares of this prized terroir at the highest point of the plateau. The estate spans 22 hectares planted to 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc. Juliette described how Pomerol's ancient blue clay soil creates wines with remarkable silkiness - the acid pH of the soil produces wines with higher pH (3.7-3.8 versus 3.4-3.5 in Saint-Émilion), resulting in the appellation's signature texture. The estate was certified organic in 2021, making it the first among the Domaines Barons de Rothschild Lafite properties to achieve this status. The wine showed a muted red fruit nose with medium tannins - surprising for the vintage. Balanced and lovely.
  
  Brad - heavypourwine.com

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• 2022 Château L'Evangile 94 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol

  First visit to Château L'Evangile in Pomerol with winemaker Juliette Couderc. Juliette explained that the vineyard borders Château Pétrus to the north - she pointed out Pétrus's roof just 500 meters away during the tour - and is separated from Cheval Blanc in Saint-Émilion to the south by only a secondary road. The estate's 22 hectares sits on a unique geological formation where blue clay sits atop gravel beds, which Juliette described as similar to toothpaste where the weight of the gravel pushes into patches of clay. This blue clay acts like a sponge that absorbs winter and spring rains, then drains naturally down the gentle slope in just 2-3 days, providing the vines with perfect medium stress during July and August ripening. She explained why Merlot thrives in this blue clay - it's very sensitive and doesn't like too much water (which causes dilution) or too little (which causes over-ripeness), calling it "the kingdom of Merlot." The wines age for 18 months in oak barrels with 70% new oak, though the estate also experiments with foudres, amphorae, and concrete vats. The wine displayed dark cherry and spice on the nose with floral notes. Ripe, concentrated fruit with silky tannins - exactly the texture Juliette described when explaining how the blue clay creates higher pH wines. Fresh and elegant with excellent balance and a long finish.
  
  Brad - heavypourwine.com

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This visit to Château L'Evangile was everything I'd hoped for - Juliette's passionate explanation of the terroir brought the wines to life in a way that tasting alone never could. Standing among the vines and seeing Pétrus just 500 meters away, then digging into the blue clay soil itself, made the connection between place and wine tangible. The 2022 vintage showed beautifully in both the Grand Vin and Blason, displaying the silky elegance that makes Pomerol so distinctive.