L'If now becomes the big if. Sorry. The 2012 campaign is now over but for the release of Jacques Thienpont's new St-Emilion (called L'If, in case you didn't get the joke) and his Le Pin. We'd like to say it's been fun. But we like to tell you the truth. Priced at 1.15 euros to the pound, our margins, calculated on the recommended resale price from the negociants, have mainly fallen into the range of minus three to plus eight percentage points. I'm so glad we don't rely too heavily on Bordeaux en primeur sales. It was a difficult vintage for those who made it, and it's become a difficult vintage for those who've sold it. But let's not forget that there are some very good wines, and a few of them have even found success in the marketplace, including at least two of this morning's releases.
Alexandre Thienpont is not a wealthy ex banker, industrialist or fashion magnate. He is a man of the soil who grew up amongst the vines and continues to live in their midst, looking after the day-to-day running of Le Pin as well as Vieux Chateau Certan. He can't afford to sit on his wine but needs it to sell, which perhaps explains why he invariably manages to hit the spot in terms of both quality and price:
'This is a Merlot year for Alexandre and his son Guillaume: the 2012 a blend o 87% Merlot, 11% Cabernet Franc and just 1% Cabernet Sauvignon (the latter due to a parcel being replanted at the moment.) The nose is very well defined and lively, real "energy" coming from the glass. There are crisp scents of blackcurrant, wild strawberry and a tangible stoniness – very expressive of its terroir. The palate is superb: real tension and purity here, crisp acidity, tensile tannins that lend this VCC edginess and race. The fruit is black rather than red with a sense of poise and superbly assimilated oak on the nervous finish. What a great Pomerol for the vintage! 95-97 points.' - Neal Martin, erobertparker.com/winejournal
Jean-Louis Triaud is an altogether different character. The president of FC Girondins de Bordeaux, he leaves no stone unturned in the quest to make the best wine possible at St-Julien's smallest estate. He told us that there were just three days in which to pick the Merlot at its optimum, and five for the Cabernet, so he employed two hundred extra workers to accomplish the task. St-Pierre was one of our favourites in the appellation:
'A blockbuster effort for the vintage, the 2012 Saint-Pierre exhibits a dense purple color along with a big, sweet nose of blackberries, coffee, forest floor and camphor. This is a seriously endowed, surprisingly full-bodied effort that is atypically rich and textured for the vintage. Kudos to Saint-Pierre, one of the smallest but finest and most consistent of the St-Julien chateaux. Give it 3-4 years of cellaring and drink it over the following 15+ years. 91-93 points.' - Robert Parker, Wine Advocate, April 2013
Also from St-Julien we have Leoville-Las Cases, one of the highest-scoring left banks of the vintage. /AR
Offered subject to availability for shipment spring 2015
Halves & magnums £10 extra per 9 litre case; other formats on request
