| Region | |
|---|---|
| Subregion | France > Bordeaux > Right Bank > St Emilion |
| Colour | Red |
| Type | Still |
This property is owned by Jacques Thienpont (of Le Pin) and was formerly known as Haut Plantey before he purchased it in 2010. It consists of 8 hectares of which 5 are situated next to Troplong Mondot. Plantings are 91% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Franc. Winemaking by Nicolas Thienpont's son Cyrille. All 8 hectares here are now in production so production is now around 10,000 bottles.
The 2024 is 85% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc. 13% alcohol. 50% new oak, 50% second year oak. 1,000 cases will be produced and the same volume of the 2nd label. Picking was in October and concentration helped by densimetric sorting, a 15-20% saignée and half a degree of chaptalisation.
Aromas of raspberries, bay leaf, petals and licorice introduce the 2024 L'If, a medium-bodied, supple and lively wine built around a tangy spine of acidity and concluding with a discreetly herbal finish. It's a blend of Merlot with 15% Cabernet Franc.
The 2024 L'If was picked from October 4 to 6 for the Merlot, then October 8 for the Cabernet Franc. It aged for 12 to 16 months in 50% new oak. This has a fragrant bouquet, with mainly red fruit and slate-like scents. The palate is medium-bodied and balanced, with slightly chalky tannins and a little flesh on the mid-palate. Lightly spiced on the finish, this is a comparatively straightforward L'If compared to previous vintages that will serve as a fine earlier drinking Saint-Émilion. Drink: 2028-2038
Bright ruby in colour, very fragrant with a touch of fine cocoa, supple red fruit and a touch of iron filing and cherry blossom. Sappy, bright and vibrant in acidity. Quite a refreshing, bright wine this year, with delicate and lively fruit. Fairly long, clean and refreshing, pushed by spicy wood on the finish.
Deep garnet-purple colored. Needs a little shaking to wake up notes of black raspberries & kirsch, followed by hints of dusty soil, dried herbs, and crushed rocks. The light to medium-bodied palate is lively and fresh with zippy red berry flavors and fine-grained tannins, finishing with a fruity lift.
85% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc. 3.85 pH.
Love the aromatics here, and vibrant ruby colour, this is a real success and bright spot in the vintage, one to look out for, fragrant, tomato leaf, peony, lilac, raspberry fruits, lots of energy and delicate juice, not a powerhouse but skilful and early to medium drinking. 3.37 ph. Harvest 4 to 8 October, really held on to push for maturity. 30% new oak, even after sorting they are at 39hl/h yield here on these clay-limestone soils. Touch of chaptilsation and saignée, showing that even with waiting til October to harvest these things were needed.
The 2024 L'If is an elegant, sleek wine. Crushed flowers, tobacco, cedar, incense, dried herbs and menthol give the 2024 lovely aromatic presence. L'If is light on its feet, with a bit less overt concentration than most years, but there's more than enough persistence to compensate for that, shaping the wine in a style that favors linear energy over volume. Harvest took place between October 4-6 for the Merlots and October 8 for Franc, a much more condensed period between two rains. Aging is in French oak, 50% new. Tasted two times. 2030 - 2046
Quite an aromatic wine with appetizing spiciness, white pepper, hibiscus and red berries. Juicy and bright, with a medium body, fine-etched chalky tannins and a long, bright finish. Very pure fruit with excellent texture and mid-palate roundness. 85% merlot and 15% cabernet franc.
