Winemaker Notes
Blend: 86% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Franc
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The sexy, dark ruby/purple-tinged 2006 l’Evangile achieved 14% natural alcohol, as high as any of the great vintages at this estate. Abundant amounts of dark raspberry and black cherry fruit intertwined with sweet plums and hints of figs as well as spring flowers jump from the glass of this medium to full-bodied, fleshy, supple-textured, silky wine. Drink it now or cellar it for 15-20 years.
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Wine Enthusiast
A big, rich chocolaty wine with delicious spice and ripe tannins. The fruit is sumptuously rich, blackberry juice flavors balancing the power and concentration of the texture. In all this richness, there is just enough freshness to lift the finish.
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Wine Spectator
Displays blackberry and earth, with a mushroom undertone. Full-bodied, with pleasant fruit and a medium finish. Tight. Needs to come together. A little disappointing after such an amazing 2005. Best after 2014. 2,900 cases made.
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
A source of exceptionally sensual and glamorous red wines, Pomerol is actually a rather small appellation in an unassuming countryside. It sits on a plateau immediately northeast of the city of Libourne on the right bank of the Dordogne River. Pomerol and St-Émilion are the stars of what is referred to as Right Bank Bordeaux: Merlot-dominant red blends completed by various amounts of Cabernet Franc or Cabernet Sauvignon. While Pomerol has no official classification system, its best wines are some of the world’s most sought after.
Historically Pomerol attached itself to the larger and more picturesque neighboring region of St-Émilion until the late 1800s when discerning French consumers began to recognize the quality and distinction of Pomerol on its own. Its popularity spread to northern Europe in the early 1900s.
After some notable vintages of the 1940s, the Pomerol producer, Petrus, began to achieve great international attention and brought widespread recognition to the appellation. Its subsequent distribution by the successful Libourne merchant, Jean-Pierre Mouiex, magnified Pomerol's fame after the Second World War.
Perfect for Merlot, the soils of Pomerol—clay on top of well-drained subsoil—help to create wines capable of displaying an unprecedented concentration of color and flavor.
The best Pomerol wines will be intensely hued, with qualities of fresh wild berries, dried fig or concentrated black plum preserves. Aromas may be of forest floor, sifted cocoa powder, anise, exotic spice or toasted sugar and will have a silky, smooth but intense texture.