Appy Hour: Le Pin lineage under $50?

A sub $50 Right Bank cult garagiste gem made by the team at Le Pin? No joke, Operatives. For those who are not familiar with the unicorn, here’s a $6,500 a bottle 2019 Le Pin. Gulp.

So, SO minuscule that who’s L’If you may rightfully ask? Leave it to the Wine Advocate to explain, and hype things up, it’s “splendid Saint-Émilion unapologetically elegant in style, one that as Jacques himself quipped, is the kind of bottle you finish… a very impressive Saint-Émilion… in fact, comparing them side-by-side it might be just as good as Le Pin!”

L’If is named after the yew tree, while le Pin is a send to the mighty pine. Two trees, same roots. There’s a tremendous article here you MUST read after securing some.

Back to this second wine of L’If (which goes for about $300 now) that a few even know of its existence. Which is why there’s no press on it, while there is plenty written on the Grand Vin. Wine Advocate endorses that “the 2019 L’If has turned out beautifully… gets my nod as the finest L’If to date” further elaborating that “the core of L’If, amounting to some 5 hectares, is located around the Château itself, just below Troplong-Mondot …L’If is really developing a strong identity… fleshy, enveloping and refined, with plenty of perfume and texture, the estate’s style is becoming very compelling.”

Unbelievable, right? Just about a barrel is all we could shake off the yew tree, while it lasts.