L'If 2020

This is one of the most structured L’Ifs I have had with currants and cherries, and chalk and salt undertones. Full and muscular. Long, long finish. The tannins and fruit go on and on. Give it three or four years to soften.

A blend of 79% Merlot and 21% Cabernet Franc, L’If 2020 is deep garnet-purple in color. It skips out of the glass with vibrant notes of Morello cherries, juicy blackberries, and fresh plums, with touches of menthol, pencil shavings, and iron ore. The medium to full-bodied palate vibrates with energetic black fruits, supported by firm, grainy tannins and oodles of freshness, finishing on a lingering chalky note.

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. 2025 - 2040

Austere on the opening beats, then a ton of enjoyable berry fruits. As it settles in, it delivers fine tannins with intense and sappy hawthorn, crushed stone and tobacco leaf character backing them up. Great balance, some austerity, and a tiptoeing through the palate that speaks of its clay-limestone soils. Fiona and Jacques Thienpont are the owners here, with winemaking from their nephew Cyrille Thienpont. 50% new oak. A yield of 34hl/ha.

Drinking Window 2025 - 2042

84% Merlot, 16% Cabernet Franc. Cask sample.
Rich and ripe with damson and dark-fruit notes. Full and broad across the palate but backed and driven by very fine tannins. Texturally smooth, the chalky freshness and point of acidity on the finish pulling it all together. (JL) 14.6%
Drink 2026 – 2035