2022 - L'If, Saint-Emilion

The 2022 L'If, bottled last June, has a delectable, finely tuned nose with a touch of blackberry, light estuarine scents (as observed in barrel) and a pastille-like purity that is very endearing and nuanced. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, wonderful sapidity and just the right amount of weight. The 20% Cabernet Franc lends a slight pepperiness with gentle grip and a long tail. Fresh from start to finish, this is a Saint-Émilion to savor for the next 15 to 20 years. This is superb.

The blend of L’If in this vintage is 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc, with an élevage in 50% new oak and 50% second-fill oak. The grand vin comes mostly from vines on clay-limestone soils around the cellars, while the second wine Collines takes wines from lower sections such as a parcel near Lassègue. A very pure and focused nose here, fresh and fragrant, with finely polished red cherry and currant, with rose petal and peony. The palate has the same elegance as the nose, pure and precise, with finely delineated and fresh and floral red fruits, red cherry, raspberry, rose and peony, with a rich, limestone derived tannic grip. A delicious, focused and linear composition, with limestone acidity and grip persisting into the length. An elegant St Emilion so different in style (obviously) to the more famous wines of the Thienpont family. I can see this developing well over ten years and more on that structure. The alcohol is 14% on the label, 14.3% on analysis.

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.