- Colour Red
- Producer Château l'If
- Region St Emilion
- Drinking 2026 - 2040
- Case size 6x75cl
- Available En Primeur
2022 - L'If St Emilion - 6x75cl
- Colour Red
- Producer Château l'If
- Region St Emilion
- Drinking 2026 - 2040
- Case size 6x75cl
- Available En Primeur
Need help? Call +44 (0)20 7793 7900 or email wine@goedhuiswaddesdon.com.
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Goedhuis, April 2023, Score: 94-96
A decade on from purchasing this strategically positioned 8-hectare estate next door to Ch Troplong Mondot, Diana Berrouet-Garcia explained they are really seeing the benefits of their replanting programme. Today the vineyard comprises 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc, and she expressed her and owner Jacques Thienpont’s delight at the floral aromatics and freshness in their 2022. Radiant purple colour, cherry blossom, bilberry and lilac waft from the glass. Vibrantly pure, with a poised, restrained clarity and great length. Very lovely indeed.
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Neal Martin, April 2023, Score: 93-95
The 2022 L'If, a blend of 20% Cabernet Franc from fourth-leaf vines and 80% Merlot, was picked on 14 and 26 September at 35hL/ha. The limestone soils percolate through nicely on the nose with mineral-rich blackberry and bilberry fruit, quite estuarine (even if it doesn't border the Gironde!) The palate is medium-bodied with crunchy black fruit and blueberry notes. It's finely structured with a touch of licorice popping up on the finish, overtly spicy on the aftertaste. This is a very well-crafted Saint-Émilion from Jacques Thienpont and team - no wonder it is gaining a loyal following like Le Pin. Drink 2030-2055
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Antonio Galloni, April 2023, Score: 93-95
The 2022 L’If is a powerhouse. An exotic mélange of blackberry jam, bittersweet chocolate, licorice, cloves and menthol saturates the palate, all backed up by huge, imposing tannins. This brooding, virile Saint-Émilion packs a huge punch. It will be interesting to see if this softens with élevage. The blend is 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc.
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Wine Advocate, April 2023, Score: 93-95
Aromas of raspberries, cherries, spices and bay leaf introduce the 2022 L'If, a medium to full-bodied, layered and fleshy wine that's taut and vibrant, built around lively acids and fine, chalky tannins. A blend of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc, the decision to halve the volume of pump-overs have delivered a suave Saint-Émilion, even in this structured vintage.
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James Suckling, April 2023, Score: 98-99
Gorgeous and very fine tannins with a fine velvet texture and wonderful berry, chocolate and hazelnut character. Medium-bodied with round and balanced tannins with serenity and a crunchy finish. 80% merlot and 20% cabernet franc.
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Matthew Jukes, April 2023, Score: 18+
Jacques Thienpont thinks this is a more elegant wine than the highly fancied 2020 vintage, and you have to go back to 1947 for a vintage with comparable climatic conditions! After over a decade of work in the vines, replanting and refining their vineyards, this is the second vintage in which the Cabernet Franc element has been augmented in the blend. Jacques stated that he didn’t have 40 to make much effort in the vineyards in 2022, leaving the responsibility of the vines to the great limestone terroir beneath the surface. And he is right to feel confident because this wine is both delicious and luxurious without being heavy or ostentatious. Dark, ripe, rich and actively grainy on the finish and ever so classy, this is a coming-of-age vintage for L’If.
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Jancis Robinson, April 2023, Score: 16.5
Fragrant and sappy. Fresh and lively. Rich and racy. Clean and lightly sandy tannins on the end. Not the longest but very nice and surely the best vintage yet of this wine. Lots of lifted, limestone minerality. 14.3% Drink 2027 – 2037
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Jeb Dunnuck, April 2023, Score: 94-96
Coming from the limestone plateau of Saint-Emilion, the 2022 Château L'If is based on 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc raised in 50% new oak. This is a mineral-bomb, delivering ample black raspberry fruit and floral nuances, full-bodied richness, a layered, ripe, textured mouthfeel, and outstanding length. Harvested from September 14-26, with an alcohol level of 14.3% and a pH of 3.52, it's an utterly classic Saint-Emilion that will benefit from 4-5 years of bottle age and have 20-25 years of overall longevity. This might be the finest vintage I've tasted.
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Jane Anson, April 2023, Score: 93
Deep plum colour with violet reflections, and this is full of limestone intensity and grip, with fragrant floral aromatics. Bitter edge of black chocolate, fennel and aniseed, cassis fruits, real purity of character. Cyril Thienpont winemaker. Owned by the Thienponts since 2010. Harvest September 14 to 26. 50% new oak. 35hl/h yield. 3.52ph. New barrel cellar from 2023 vintage, 4,000l Stockinger barrels. 50% new oak.
Producer
Château l'If
Region
St Emilion
South of Pomerol lies the medieval, perched village of St Emilion. Surrounding St Emilion are vines that produce round, rich and often hedonistic wines. Despite a myriad of soil types, two main ones dominate - the gravelly, limestone slopes that delve down to the valley from the plateau and the valley itself which is comprised of limestone, gravel, clay and sand. Despite St Emilion's popularity today, it was not until the 1980s to early 1990s that attention was brought to this region. Robert Parker, the famous wine critic, began reviewing their Merlot-dominated wines and giving them hefty scores. The rest is history as they say. Similar to the Médoc, there is a classification system in place which dates from 1955 and outlines several levels of quality. These include its regional appellation of St Emilion, St Emilion Grand Cru, St Emilion Grand Cru Classé and St Emilion Premier Grand Cru Classé, which is further divided into "A" (Ausone and Cheval Blanc) and "B" (including Angélus, Canon, Figeac and a handful of others). To ensure better accuracy, the classification is redone every 10 years enabling certain châteaux to be upgraded or downgraded depending on on the quality of their more recent vintages.
