2011 L’If - a pop up from le Pin or a keeper?
This wine is deep cherry red, concentrated and dark with intensely colored, fat legs oozing down my glass.It opens up immediately with the sweet fruitiness of brambles, blueberries and ripe dark cherries, accompanied by spices (a dash of white pepper) and oaky vanilla. Given a little more time in the glass a more roasted smell slowly comes forward with fresh toast and a cup of creamy espresso.It has a great concentration in the mouth as well, the very present warmth and alcohol are supported well by the abundant fruit and fresh acidity It has a very long quite tannic finish, a bit austere with a slight bitterness at the very end. So the name in this case says it all : IF… if the fruit manages to hold on for a couple more years and the tannins integrate better, this will be a stunning wine. It’s very good now but with a couple years more of cellaring could become terrific. Definitely a great turnaround from an estate no one had even heard of until legendary winemaker Jacques Thienpont got involved a couple of years ago.
Dc
