Château l’IF 2023

Description

Neal Martin 93-95 www.vinous.com
The 2023 L’If was picked from September 18 to 27 for the Merlot. The Cabernet Franc was picked on October 2. The wine aged for 12 to 16 months in 50% new oak, the first time in the new cellar in concrete vats instead of stainless steel. It has quite an exuberant bouquet with ripe red cherry and wild strawberry fruit, a hint of blood orange and iris flower. It is very focused and beautifully defined, the limestone terroir percolating through. The palate is medium-bodied with the Cabernet Franc shaping the entry—a little peppery in style. The tannins are quite strict at the moment (which came as some surprise to the Thienponts), framing the dark berry and graphite-tinged fruit. Linear toward the finish, reflecting the slightly cooler growing season, this is a very fine, cerebral L’If.

Yves Beck 94-95 points www.yvesbeck.wine

80% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc

D’entrée, le vin annonce de la fraîcheur, de la tension, du calcaire, des fruits rouges et des épices ! Le vin est linéaire, vif et très précis. Ses tannins charnus ont la substance nécessaire pour tenir tête au côté incisif de la structure acide et, finalement, créer la symbiose. Un vin frais, sapide, salivant qui ravira bien des gosiers !  2027-2037

Jean-Marc Quarin 95 points www.quarin.com
Couleur noire, aux reflets vifs. Nez intense, pur, fruité, mûr et subtil. Nuances fraîches d’encre, de fleurs et de fruits noirs à l’agitation du verre. Délicat en entrée de bouche, savoureux au milieu, le vin caresse le palais sur un profil très allongé. Il s’achève séveux, sur une belle finale aromatique fraîche. A cet instant, il m’a manqué un peu de corps, mais c’est très bon. Assemblage : 80 % merlot, 20 % de jeunes cabernets francs. Degré d’alcool : 14°1 – pH : 3,37. Rendement : 40 hl/ha. Production : 15 000 bouteilles.

Antonio Galloni 94-96 www.vinous.com
The 2023 L’If is unusually floral and refined for a wine that has, in the past, been darker and more ample in structure. Cedar, tobacco, crushed flowers and mint add lift and aromatic presence. Silky tannins create an impression of finesse. The 2023 represents the first year of vinification in the new cellar outfitted with cement vats. Overall, though, this wine feels like a new chapter for L’If. The vibrancy and energy here are palpable. Tasted two times.

William Kelley 93-95 points www.erobertparker.com
The 2023 L’If, crafted by Cyrille Thiepont and originating from vines owned by Jacques Thienpont, unveils a dark bouquet of licorice, dark wild berries, pencil lead, coniferous forest, spices and oak. Medium to full-bodied, creamy and unctuous, it’s rich and concentrated with a fleshy core of fruit framed by powdery tannins, culminating in a long, mineral, chalky finish. This is a blend of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc.

Panos Kakaviatos 94 points  www.decanter.com (at Bordeaux, 15 Apr 2024)
Crafted from grapes picked between 18 September and 2 October (the date of Cabernet Franc pickings), this wine, currently ageing in 50% new oak, exhibits balance between acidity – a low pH of 3.37 – and alcohol. Winemaker Cyrille Thienpont walked me through the recently renovated cement vat cellar used for the first time this vintage, and the wine is precise, with bright red and dark fruits and fine tannin. I appreciate the juiciness that beckons drinking in a medium-bodied palate. The long finish echoes wet stone minerality with a touch of savoury dark chocolate.