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Tasting Notes
Truffle, licorice and ripe black cherries command your attention immediately. On the palate, the wine is supple in texture with a profundity of fruit and glossy, silk tannins that are impossible to overlook. With a touch of jam in the back note. Everything is in balance from the start all the way through to the plum, vanilla, chocolate and boysenberry filled finish. This is quite an accomplishment for the vintage. The wine is made from blending 91% Merlot and 9% Cabernet Franc. The wine reached 14% ABV with a pH of 3.
Critic Scores
Average Score
James Suckling
Jancis Robinson MW
More reviews and scores
Linear and very tight and focused with blueberries, blackberries and hints of hazelnuts and spices. Medium-to full-bodied, tight and focused. Delicate and very fine.
Deepest crimson with purple rim. Lifted, lively peppery pure fruit. A little more extraction than for Le Pin and planning to pick a little earlier. No stems. So rich in fruit and lovely freshness even with compact tannins. Exuberant fruit and super-smooth texture. Long, too. (JH)
Blended of 91% Merlot with 9% Cabernet Franc, the 2017 L'If is deep garnet-purple in color, featuring beautiful crushed red cherries and black raspberries on the nose with underlying black plums, baking spices and roses notes plus a waft of Sichuan pepper. Medium-bodied with wonderfully elegant tannins and beautiful freshness, it has well-sustained mid-palate fruit and a long, earth-laced finish.
About the producer
Known for his tiny, iconic Pomerol estate Le Pin, Jacques Thienpont purchased this estate in Saint-Emilion in 2010. Giving it the name L’If (the yew tree), the property – positioned close to Troplong Mondot – is rapidly becoming as sought-after as its sibling.