2016 L'If, St Emilion, Bordeaux

The 2016 L'If, 100% Merlot in this vintage, is going to need a number of years to be at its very best. The allure the 2016 showed as a young barrel sample has been replaced with huge structure and prominent yet well balanced tannins that both give the wine its strong-voiced personality. Readers should be prepared to be patient with the 2016, as it is going to need a number of years to be at its very best. Even so, the 2016 is super-impressive in the early going, not to mention a fabulous wine in the making. Cyrille Thienpont gave the 2016 14 months in French oak, 50% new.

Drink 2024-2041

This has a deft ripple of acidity which keeps you on your toes all the way through this wine. From the Le Pin stable, it is just as seductive as you would imagine, with soft, ripe damson fruits and barely-there tannins that caress the palate. They have 5ha located by Troplong Mondot, 2ha by La Segue, and a further 1ha right on the limestone plateau. 100% Merlot, they finished picking this wine on 20th October as the soils are so late ripening. Aged in 50% new oak.

Drink 2025-2040

Cassis on the nose, followed by a touch of liquorice and pencil lead, but there is still a lot more to come here – it's emerging at a snail's pace. The tannins are already drinkable, so you might coax more out of this with decanting. You'd never guess this was already a teenager. One for the long term.

Drink 2025-2040.