2022 Château L'If

The 2022 L'If is seriously beautiful. Dark, racy and layered, the 2022 captures all the natural intensity of the year and yet remains so polished. L'If is 80% Merlot (from four parcels) and 20% Cabernet Franc (from two parcels), spread across Saint-Émilion. The 2022 spent 14 months in French oak, 50% new. A touch more Cabernet Franc than in the early days and a parcel on the St. Etienne de Lisse plateau (from 2020 on) have added more aromatic freshness and vivacity here, which is especially beneficial in torrid vintages. As good as the 2022 is today, I get the impression there is a lot in reserve.

- Antonio Galloni (01/2025)

A curious wine that offers lots of fruit character on the nose, beginning with blackberries and flowers that move to integrated tannins, proceeding to a firmness and a well-framed palate. 80% merlot and 20% cabernet franc. This needs four or five years but is lovely already. (01/2025)

The 2022 Château L'If comes from eight hectares of vines, mostly located on the upper plates near Troplong Mondot. Based on 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc raised in 50% new oak, its deep ruby/purple hue is followed by a pure, incredibly elegant wine that has a core of black raspberry fruit as well as sappy flowers, chalky minerality, and hints of forest floor. Playing in the medium-bodied, silky, elegant end of the spectrum, it brings beautiful purity, ultra-fine tannins, and a great finish. The level of purity, finesse, and minerality here is something. Give bottles 3-5 years and enjoy over the following two decades. (02/2025)

Aromas of sweet cherries, berries and plums mingled with hints of licorice and a discreet framing of toasty oak introduce the 2022 L'If, a medium to full-bodied, suave and polished wine that's lively, seamless and refined, concluding with a chalky, mineral finish. This is one of the best wines from this estate to date.

- William Kelley (03/2025)