2019 CHÂTEAU LE PIN Pomerol, Lea & Sandeman

CHÂTEAU LE PIN

2022 Pomerol

Grapes Merlot
Colour Red
Origin France, Bordeaux
Sub-district Pomerol & Lalande de Pomerol
Village Pomerol
ABV 14.4%

A juicy, sensual character of almost fresh grapes pervades the tasting of this sample. The texture is extremely velvety in that ultimate style of Jacques Thienpont's tiny vineyard of 2 hectares and ten different plots. The fruit shows some high register aromatics than seem almost exotic and somewhat smoky, adding to this wine's undoubted seduction. Despite the thick layer of gravel that the roots must penetrate to reach cooler clay soil, the wine shows perfect freshness and balance and in no way seems to have suffered from the vintage conditions. A huge success! Rating: 98-100 La Revue du Vin de France (May 2023)


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The elegance and harmony of the 2022 Le Pin took me aback. Harvest began at this small estate on September 6th, proceeding bit by bit until all 10 blocks were picked, and the resulting wine is maturing in 65% new oak. Wafting from the glass with aromas of minty blackberries and cassis mingled with hints of licorice, spices and rose petals, it's medium to full-bodied, bright and fleshy, with a sensual, seamless profile and terrific integration at such an early stage. It's one of the finest vintages at this address in the last decade or more. Rating: 96-99 William Kelley, The Wine Advocate (Apr 2023)

The 2022 Le Pin was picked 6 to 17 September at 29hL/ha, pure Merlot as usual matured in 65% new oak. It has a quasi-Burgundian bouquet, extremely pure and floral, fleeting glimpses of blueberry and blackcurrant, very perfumed in style. The palate is medium-bodied with a concentrated, verging on viscous opening that delivers a payload of gorgeous, mineral-rich black fruit. Wonderful balance, velvety in texture, it leans toward a more opulent Le Pin. This disguises the backbone of this wine that should ensure it matures over many years. Seriously fine, though I would take Jacques Thienpont's comparison to the 1945 or 1947 Le Pin with a big pinch of salt. Drinking range: 2032 - 2060 Rating: 96-98 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (May 2023)

100% Merlot. 65% new oak. 14.4% alc. 29 hl/ha. 3.77 pH. Harvested from 6 – 17 September Apparently, Jacques Thienpont joked that he might not make a wine this year, given the challenges they encountered throughout the summer, and in the end, he was shocked at just how complete and enticing the final wine is. Considering the extreme conditions, they managed superbly well, and from the ten micro-plots within the 2ha vineyard, six were deemed of high enough quality to make Le Pin. Of course, it was human intervention that ensured a brilliant wine resulted from a testing vintage. This is a peculiarly hedonistic and perfumed Le Pin with spices infiltrating every taste bud, followed immediately by waves of silky black fruit. This is a rich wine, and the tannins are structured and prod, but they are not drying or coarse. By contrast, the tannins make this an even more enticing and moreish wine. While I reserve the right to change my mind, I think that while this wine certainly has the battery pack to live for a very long time, I would bet that it will be at its most expressive and alluring earlier in its life rather than later. Rating: 19.5+ Matthew Jukes www.matthewjukes.com (May 2023)

Château Le Pin

Mme Loubie had owned a dilapidated house and a few vines, just north of Catusseau, for decades, selling the produce off to go into generic Pomerol blends. Little more than basic care had been taken of the vineyard, and most of the vines were rather old, whilst expensive insecticides and herbicides had been unaffordable. When Mme Loubie died in 1978, Jacques Thienpont spent the incredible sum of one million francs on the 1ha of vineyard and a tatty old house and chai. The first vintage of Le Pin was the 1979, aged in cast-off barrels from Vieux Château Certan. From 1981, Le Pin was aged in 100% new wood. 1982 was 1982, and the lavish praise heaped on Le Pin by Robert Parker (it’s a 100 point wine) and others propelled Le Pin into the big time. The original 1ha has slowly and surely been augmented by further adjoining purchases, taking the vineyard area up to 2.7ha. It is all the classic clay soil of the Pomerol plateau, with a high iron oxide content. Le Pin is always 100% Merlot. Le Pin is one of Bordeaux’s, indeed the world’s wine, icons with a reputation only matched by Petrus in Pomerol. Production is still tiny, and demand very high.

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