L'If, St Emilion, 2019

Destination

vintage

portfolio

2019

6x75cl

£979.22

2019

6x75cl

£979.22

L'If, St Emilion, 2019

2019

Justerini & Brooks Tasting note

L'If, St Emilion, 2019

"The vintage’s weather conditions prompted nature to offer up particularly concentrated fruit with hugely fresh aromas. L’If 2019 with its significant proportion of Cabernet Franc (25%) boasts a dense, silky structure and is reasonably classical in style.” - Jacques Thienpont Terroir: limestone-clay plateau and hillside over an asteriated limestone rock subsoil. Clay hillside over Agenais molasses subsoil. Limestone-clay hillside over Fronsac molasses subsoil. Area: 8 ha (7 ha in production in 2019). Average age of vines: 40 years. Production: approx. 7,500 bottles. Cultivation practices: tilling, natural and seeded grass cover. Vineyard renewal programme: replanting individual massal selection vines at a higher density. Numerous interventions by hand (disbudding, leaf thinning, crop thinning etc.). Maturation: 12 to 16 months (50% in new barrels, 50% second-fill). 2019 blend: • 75% Merlot (harvested 23rd September to 4th October) • 25% Cabernet Franc (8th October).

Maturity:

Keep

ABV:

14.5%

95/100

Lisa Perrotti-Brown, The Wine Independent

The 2019 L'If is a blend of 70% Merlot and 30% Cabernet Franc coming from the new mass selection, planted in 2015 on a separate plot. Deep garnet-purple, it needs a fair bit of vigorous swirling to coax out notes of crushed black cherries, fresh blackberries, and juicy plums, leading to scents of licorice, dark chocolate, clove oil, and cumin seed with a hint of crushed rocks. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is tightly wound with bright, energetic black fruit layers supported by super-ripe, grainy tannins and bold freshness, finishing long with loads of earthy sparks.

Date Reviewed:

08/2022

95/100

Neal Martin, Vinous

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.

Date Reviewed:

02/2023

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Allergen Information:

This product may contain sulphites. Full allergen information is available upon request, please call our Customer Relations Team on +44 (0)20 7484 6430.

Bordeaux

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L'If

L'If (or Yew tree) is the new wine made by maverick Pomerol producer and owner of Le Pin (Pine tree), Jacques Thienpont. It is situated close to Troplong Mondot and Barde Haut of the limestone Cote of St Emilion. 2011 was the first wine to be bottled under this label (the estate was previously called Haut Plantey). The second wine will continue to be called Chateau Haut Plantey and is made by the wine making team of Jacques and his nephew Cyril (son of Nicolas).

This ancient Abbey is divided into two distinct terroirs. The first is a continuous strip of 2.4 ha (6 acres) located in the commune of Saint Hippolyte, with a southerly exposure, which allows maximum sunlight. The soils here are deep running clay and limestone. The second section, also completely continuous, consists of 5 ha (12.5 acres) on the limestone plateau on the border of the communes of Saint-Emilion and Saint Laurent des Combes, alongside the vineyards of Château Troplong Mondot. Plantings are dominated by Merlot as one would expect in this corner of Bordeaux - 70% Merlot, 25% Cabernet-Franc and 5% Cabernet-Sauvignon.

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