Wine Advisor
L'If 2019
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: William Kelley
The 2019 L'If has turned out beautifully, bursting from the glass with aromas of sweet wild berries, plums and cherries mingled with notions of violets, raw cocoa, rose petals and spices. Medium to full-bodied, ample and concentrated, it's deep and enveloping, with lively acids and a long, perfumed finish. This gets my nod as the finest L'If to date.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2019 L'If is the sort of wine I would like to spend hours with. There is just too much to it. At times the 2019 is opulent and quite racy, and yet in other moments its the underlying minerality and tension in the wine that are most evident. Black cherry, herb, incense, licorice and mocha gradually open over time. The 25% Cabernet Franc comes through nicely, both in the wine's aromatic profile and overall structure. L'If is a wine to buy and cellar for a decade or more. I loved it.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2019 L'If has an almost Left Bank nose with copious graphite scents percolating through the black fruit, very focused and energetic. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy black fruit, finely tuned, ripe and sensual with ample freshness on the cedar and mineral infused finish. Wonderful. Tasted blind at the Southwold annual tasting.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2019 L'If is a wine of pure and total sophistication. Statuesque and vertical in its intensity, the 2019 dazzles from the very first taste. There is an explosive energy to the 2019 that is simply remarkable. Sweet floral and spice notes soar out of the glass, followed by layers of dark raspberry, leather and cedar that fill out the wine's frame. The 2019 is a drop-dead gorgeous beauty. There's not much more I can add.
About the Producer
It should perhaps come as no surprise then that Jacques, assured in his success at Le Pin, should look around for a new challenge. It may have been that he would have liked to expand his little vineyard in Pomerol, and indeed he has purchased a few rows of vines over the years. But suitable plots are hard to come by, not every parcel he purchases makes the grade anyway (especially parcels acquired on a “well, if you want that vineyard, you have to buy this one too” basis). And of course these days, this is even more expensive than it was back in the 1970s; land now changes hands at a much greater price than the ‘mere’ million francs he once paid. There is an obvious solution of course; look elsewhere in Bordeaux, where parcels of land come up for sale more often than once in a blue moon, and when they do the price tag is less eye-watering. Normally on the right bank this means Castillon, or one of the satellite appellations. To Jacques, it meant St Emilion. It was in 2010 that Jacques Thienpont decided to look beyond the borders of Pomerol for a new vineyard venture, and it was not long before he came across Château Le Haut-Plantey, a small property for sale on the plateau of St Emilion, in the Mondot secteur. Having looked through older editions of Cocks et Féret back as far as the first edition, in 1850, I can find no trace of this estate, or indeed of Château La Bouygue as it was also once known. What I have discovered, however, is that the property enjoys an enviable location, sitting just beneath the gardens of Château Troplong-Mondot, a short distance down the road from Château Bellisle-Mondotte. Jacques clearly thought the position to be good as a deal was done, and he soon found himself the proprietor of a vineyard of a decent size, complete with a few tired-looking but perfectly functional buildings. He named the new estate L’If, if being French for yew (there’s a tree theme here, as pin is French for pine), although I don’t believe there is a yew tree on the domaine (perhaps one will arrive soon). That was the easy part though. He had a lot of work on his hands if the estate was to produce something of the level of quality Jacques was hoping for. (6/8/15, updated 11/12/16)
