Evangile 2017 has been released at €180 per bottle ex-negociant, the same release price as last year (€180). It is being offered by the international trade at £2,100 per 12×75, down 1.2% in sterling terms on the 2016 release price of £2,100 per case.
This year’s release is 100% Merlot as the frost wiped out the plots of Cabernet Franc usually added to the wine, reducing the overall volume produced by 40%.
Critical commentary is pretty divided. Neal Martin awarded a score of 90-92 points on Vinous yet was “disturbed by the level of wood tannin on the finish.” However he noted that he would be “more than happy to upgrade my score if the tannin will be absorbed during élevage”. On the other hand, his colleague Antonio Galloni scored Evangile 2017 94-97 points and praised this year’s vintage as “a stunning wine”.
Today’s release of £2,100 per 12×75 is a significant premium of over 100% to the price implied by Liv-ex’s Fair Value methodology. Even if Neal Martin does upgrade his score for the wine in bottle, it would need to be around 98 points to justify the current price.
One positive of today’s release is that buyers looking for better value in back vintages are spoilt for choice. They could consider the 98-point 2010 vintage which has several years in bottle and is available at a 15% discount to the 2017. Alternatively, the higher scoring 2014 and 2008 vintages are under half the price of today’s release.
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