Wine Advisor
L'If 2020
View analysis
Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: William Kelley
Bursting with aromas of sweet blackberries, cherries, licorice and spices, the 2020 L'If is medium to full-bodied, bright and youthfully structured, with a pretty core of fruit, chalky tannins and a mouthwatering finish. In recent years, this property has begun to find an identity of its own, the bulk of whose holdings lie next to Troplong-Mondot, a property the Thienpont family owned for a decade in the 20th century.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2020 L’If is dense, powerful and explosive to the core. A rush of black cherry fruit, chocolate, graphite, cloves and lavender saturates the palate. This powerful, dense Saint-Émilion is all muscle and brawn today. There is no shortage of intensity, but all of that energy is directed inwards at this stage. Huge tannins and bright acids need time to soften, but this is impressive. Readers should expect a big, big wine.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2020 L'If is shaping up to be a jewel of a wine. In most vintages so far, L'If has been a dense, textured Saint-Émilion. In 2020, all of that energy seems directed toward extreme verticality rather than heft. I have to say, it’s a style I like a lot. Bright acids and persistent tannins drive a core of red/purplish fruit, while floral, spice and mineral-drenched accents linger. The 2020 is a blend of 84% Merlot and 16% Cabernet Franc, picked on 9/16, 9/24 and 9/26 for the Merlot and 10/1 for the Franc. This is the first vintage that includes fruit from a new parcel in the Saint-Étienne-de-Lisse district. A statuesque, captivating beauty, L'If is loaded with potential. I loved it.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2020 L'If is precocious on the nose, with macerated black cherries, crushed violet, and blueberry emerging with time, all very well-defined and focused. The oak is nicely integrated here. The palate is medium-bodied with pliant tannins, a little fleshier than its stablemate L'Hêtre. A pinch of white pepper towards the second half and an almost sedate, harmonious pastille-like finish. This should be afforded 4-5 years in bottle.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2020 L’If is the first to include the Cabernet Franc that Jacques Thienpont planted four years ago, representing 16% of the blend this year, the remainder is Merlot. It has a more open nose than the Le Pin tasted alongside, a mélange of red berry fruit, mint, iodine and a dab of liquorice. That Cabernet Franc lends a little pepperiness. The palate is very well balanced with seamlessly integrated new oak, plush and rounded. A more sensual wine than Le Pin this year, forward and generous with a ripe and very pure, mineral-driven finish. This will be difficult to resist, so don’t say I didn’t warn you.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2020 L'If has a slightly more savory bouquet than the preceding 2020 Quintus, perhaps with a higher proportion of Cabernet Franc (16% in this blend). The complexity really comes through with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied, fresh and quite saline, with firm tannins and hints of oyster shells toward the long, refined finish. This fans out wonderfully. Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting.
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)
