1994 Ch L’Evangile

The 1994 Ch L’Evangile is one of RWJ’s Best Affordable Reds and today’s tasting at Iggy’s on the occasion of our anniversary lunch, 11 June 2013, amply confirms that view. Decanted on-site, the wine displayed a purplish-red with just a hint of bricking at the rim, already soft and easy-going right from the first pour, throwing up a great deal of earthiness with more than a trace of pungency. This blew off after a short while, allowing more of the predominantly red fruits to emerge, supported by a deeper layer of dark currants along with other notes of soy and a hint of graphite, decidedly soft and relaxed on the palate. One certainly could not mistake it for anything other than a Bordeaux, although placing it in a blinded tasting may be problematic. It gradually fleshed out over time with more of blueberries and briar to the fore, the tannins becoming more pronounced with their supple velvety texture, the wine gaining just a little more weight, firming up in the mid-body, though still retaining its remarkable balance and ease all the way to its dry lengthy finish, leaving the palate to bask in the lovely glow of a mature claret. Compared to Petrus of the same vintage, the L’Evangile is just lacking in the last ounce of opulence and richness, but you wouldn’t have realised that without a side-by-side comparison. Even Ignatius himself, who’d never tasted a 1994 L’Evangile, was most impressed.