L'If

L'If, St Emilion, 2021

Name: L'If, St Emilion
Brand: L'If
Price: 647.81 GBP

90/100

Inside Bordeaux

93/100

The Wine Independent

94/100

Vinous

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2021
6x75cl
DP
£907.93
2021
3x1.5L
DP
£920.72
2021
1x3L
DP
£647.81

Justerini & Brooks Tasting note

Jacques explained that this was a "garage" wine (like the old days…). Years of work in the vineyard replanting better genetics and planting at a higher density are almost completed, so attention has turned to the winery. At the time of our visit there was no roof, so it was back to basics for the 2021 vinifications, but you wouldn't know it! Produced from 79% Merlot and 21% Cabernet Franc from five hectares next to Troplong Mondot and two smaller plots near Lassegue and Étienne-de-Lisse (all farmed organically), the L'If is initially more extrovert than Le Pin with notes of black mineral infused fruit, licorice, cassis and truffles. Texturally this is very smart with layers of seamless, taut dark fruit. One feels the limestone influence - there's a minerality and brightness that one associates with the Cote of St Emilion. The fruit is framed by velvety tannins and a refreshing spine of acidity.

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GUARANTEED PROVENANCE

Provenance in fine wine

When it comes to purchasing wine, provenance is of upmost importance. A wine’s history – where it’s sourced from and how it’s been stored – can have an enormous influence on the eventual enjoyment it provides. At Justerini & Brooks, we can trace nearly every case back to the domaine, estate or Château it originally came from; we ship from over 200 wine producers throughout the world.

Wines not bought directly from the vineyard are either sourced from trusted suppliers, with whom we share the same philosophy and rigour in buying, or from our own network of Cellarers customers. These customers’ wines are stored in optimal conditions in Octavian Corsham and, in the vast majority of cases, have been stored by us since the wine was first shipped. We do not purchase wine from auctions.

We feel it is equally important to for our customers that the case they buy and leave in storage with us is exactly the same case they subsequently have delivered. This may sound obvious and straightforward, yet we are one of very few merchants to have taken measures to ensure this.

We have created a system where every case is independent, thereby ensuring a trail of ownership and peace of mind for every customer.

The Journey

Justerinis ensures that every case of wine stored with Cellarers (Wines) Ltd has a unique identifier and customer’s name, almost unheard of in the industry as it is expensive to administer. These details are printed and placed on every case which is logged and recorded under your account name and kept in the world’s most renowned storage facility, Octavian Corsham.

This information is sent from our systems to the warehouse every day to ensure the trail of ownership is verified and upheld.

While customer reserves are stored in Corsham, our physical stocks are kept in Hoddesdon, further providing a geographical separation between customers’ wines with Cellarers and Justerinis’ own stock.

Further Reassurance

Cellarers (Wines) Ltd is a legally separate limited company from Justerini & Brooks which currently holds approximately £450 million worth of customer reserves. It is fully insured to catastrophic loss. Many merchants will state that wine in their care is fully insured, but in reality this is on an individual case basis with insufficient cover for total loss as this is prohibitively expensive. The cover provided by Octavian and Justerini & Brooks is unmatched.

Cellarers (Wines) Ltd is audited by PwC every year.

Critic Reviews

93/100

Lisa Perrotti-Brown,

The Wine Independent

A blend of 79% Merlot and 21% Cabernet Franc, L’If 2021 is deep garnet-purple in color. It shoots from the glass with vibrant notes of fresh blueberries and redcurrants, leading to nuances of lilacs, licorice, and iron ore. The medium-bodied palate delivers exciting tension and wonderfully fine-grained tannins, with bright black and red berry flavors and a zippy finish.

drinking window 2026 - 2036

date of review 04/2024

94/100

Neal Martin,

Vinous

The 2021 L'If was a winner out of barrel. In bottle? It blossoms in the glass with pure black cherry, iodine, wilted violet and oyster shell scents, gaining momentum in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins. There is a fluidity in the L'If that I really like—very harmonious and poised, gradually building with gentle grip toward the finish and residual black pepper on the aftertaste. Excellent.

drinking window 2028 - 2050

date of review 02/2024

90/100

Jane Anson,

Inside Bordeaux

Cyrille Thienpont is in charge here, and he has teased out attractive blueberry fruits, along with graphite, pencil lead and gunsmoke. Chalky tannins reflect the clay-limestone soils, this is full of pleasure, even while austerity is gripping the finish. Highest percentage of Cabernet Franc to date, after including recent plantings. 50% new oak. Harvest October 2 to 16.

drinking window 2026 - 2036

date of review 05/2022

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abv:

14.5%

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.