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Tasting notes
The 2015 L'If was tasted from two or three different bottles. I feel that this Saint-Émilion has perhaps just passed its peak. This has a slightly rustic nose. The fruit ebbed away in the last four or five years, moving determinedly into secondary tobacco scents. The palate is medium-bodied with drier tannins than before, but there remains attractive, earthy red fruit that supports the finish. I would drink this sooner rather than later. Tasted at the Vinous Icons 2015 Bordeaux seminar in New York.
Critic scores
Average Score
James Suckling
Tim Atkin MW
More reviews and scores
The 2015 L'If, the sibling of Le Pin, of course, has a high-toned iodine-tinged bouquet with floral scents emerging with time. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy black fruit, gentle grip, nicely structured with an attractive cedar- and black-pepper-tinged finish that shows more weight and density than its peers. It is a little heady but it is still well crafted. Tasted blind at the Southwold 2015 Bordeaux tasting.
Tasted blind. Intense and spicy and zesty with real energy and not too much exaggeration. My fellow tasters criticised it for being too stalky and high-acid and not tasting of Le Pin! (JR)
The truffle, dark chocolate, espresso, smoke, licorice and red berry nose will keep you busy, until you're ready for what comes next. On the palate, this is off the charts. Pure hedonism, the wine is bottled decadence. Opulent, sensuous, rich and sexy, if you like the sensation of velvet textured, perfectly ripe fruits which must last close to 60 seconds on the palate, this is the wine for you. Sadly, it is going to be impossible to find as only 400 cases were produced.