France

Merlot

Cabernet Franc

Ch. Le Pin

Le Pin Pomerol

Bordeaux

Pomerol

Medium to deep garnet colored, the 2012 Le Pin rolls out with beautiful notions of roses, baked plums, and raspberry preserves, plus hints of wild sage, cedar, and red loam with a ferrous waft. The medium-bodied palate is wonderfully elegant and intense, with firm, rounded tannins and bold freshness, finishing long and so, so minerally.

by Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW

A beautiful wine, showing slate, crushed rock and pulses of minerality against the silky satiny texture that is signature of Le Pin and the classic brushed velvet tannins of Pomerol. Succulent, limbering up towards its drinking window but will power ahead for another few years. 32hl/h yield.

Inside Bordeaux

Vivid ruby plum, and here the fragrance is centred around dark fruits, cassis, bilberry, rose petals. Love the density and the texture, and the slow slow build. A more serious Le Pin than some years, exceptional quality in the vintage, and will age with finesse. The retro olfaction comes curling in with gunsmoke and graphite. The deep gravels of Le Pin came into play for sure in this vintage, helping reach these ripeness levels, and this is a potential upscore in bottle. 65% new oak, harvest 20 to 29 September. 3.72pH, 29 hl/ha.

Le Pin 2023 is 100% Merlot and it has a pH of 3.75. It is aging in 65% new oak barriques and it has a deep garnet-purple color. It is quite shy and whispery to begin, offering glimpses at floral notions of wisteria and red roses, leading to spicy notes of cinnamon and clove, before opening out to a powerful core of wild blueberries, juicy blackberries, and black raspberries, with an underlying waft of forest floor. The medium to full-bodied palate is electric, delivering vibrating notes of black berries and purple flowers, framed by super-fine-grained tannins and amazing tension, finishing on a lingering, ferrous note. Magic!

Delivers the plush texture of Le Pin, with rippling cassis and blueberry fruits, bitter slabs of chocolate, slate, crushed rocks. The extreme ripeness of the year seems effortless at a property that knows how to capture your attention, and how to draw velvety tannins around intensely spiced fruits. A slow build through the palate, need to take your time to explores the depths of this wine, give it time. Expertly structured and intense. Harvest September 6 to 17, here yield 29hl/h, 3.77ph, 65% new oak. Potential upscore in bottle.

Jewel-ruby colour, this has layers of nuanced black fruits and campfire smoke on the nose. One of the more delicate renditions of Le Pin after a number of years of powerful seduction, this is vivid and juicy, heading towards brambled raspberry fruits, with finely-spun tannins and a twist of liquorice bud and grilled earth. The deep gravels of Le Pin (among the deepest of Pomerol, up to 6m) were able to ripen earlier than most areas, and this still delivers an arresting wine, with nuance, hidden power, and beauty. But it may not still the conversation in a room the way that the best vintages of this remarkable wine can do. 75% new oak. Diana Berrouet arrived in January 2022 (from Ch Petit Village) to Le Pin for the blending of this vintage, working with viticulturalist and consulting winemaker Guillaume Thienpont. 35hl/h yield, harvest November 25 to October 4. No frost impact, no mildew either. They made no 2013 and no 2003 here, so if they are making it, it's a good sign that they are happy with it.

Le Pin 2020 has a deep garnet-purple color. It starts off a little subdued before erupting from the glass with powerful notes of plum preserves, blackberry compote, dark chocolate, smoked meats, and Indian spices, leading to touches of crushed rocks, black truffles, and cast-iron pan. The medium to full-bodied palate is densely laden with taut, muscular fruits, framed by very firm, ripe, rounded tannins and wonderful tension, finishing very long with loads of mineral and savory layers. Epic!

An explosion of fruit and exotic spice, as is so often the case with this wine. I am tasting this at a relatively cold temperature and yet still the tannins are silky, creamy and supple, extremely impressive. As it opens, campfire smoke, hints of petrol and passion fruit, nuanced black truffle, rosemary, blueberry and black cherry fruits. This is perfumed and envelops the palate, coming in waves, just a brilliant Le Pin. 100% new oak.

Le Pin 2018 has a deep garnet purple color. It opens with notions of cedar, blackcurrants, and plum preserves, giving way to sandalwood, anise, and dried roses, plus a hint of cinnamon stick. The medium to full-bodied palate is very perfumed and elegant, with layer upon layer of black fruits and exotic spices plus ultra-plush tannins and seamless acidity, finishing very long and fragrant. WOW. 

Perfumed almost burgundian, with lovely purity and intensity offering layers of fresh raspberry, cassis, fine spices, modest oak and damp tobacco. Very flavour intense, dense and vigorous with a non-intrusive concentration, extremely polished, glossy and silky texture with an abundance of refined tannin. Remarkably long and persistent finish, graceful and tight with fine proportions and balance, still a youthful wine needing time to gain further complexity but unquestionnably a very complete wine with perfect proportions.

Sommelier

Lush, opulent waves of fully ripe fruits wash over you with an approaching-maturity Le Pin, and this is one to strap in to for the full sensory experience. White pepper and sage spice, fresh figs and crushed raspberries, layers of cocoa bean and tobacco, with a sharper mandarin peel and slate finish. Gorgeous, a benchmark in this tasting.

The 2014 Le Pin is deep garnet-brick in color. Notes of cedar chest and dried roses slowly emerge from the glass, leading to a core of dried raspberries, kirsch, and fruitcake plus a waft of truffle. The medium-bodied palate is an exercise in elegance, with silky tannins and beautifully knit freshness supporting the delicately nuanced flavors, finishing long and fragrant.

 
Åpner svært parfymert og eterisk, kirsebær, burgundsk lær og vanilje. I munnen er det masse rød frukt, kraft og eleganse som danser sammen, god syre kompleks og helhetlig trøffel, lær rød frukt med også litt antydning til engelsk pipetobakk med luft. Fremstår å være på et godt sted nå. Enorm konsentrasjon og lengde, sitter i minutter der både lær, frukt og mineraler vedvarer.

Expert

blir noe enkel i frukten. En sømløs og korrekt vin, men ser ikke all the fuzz

Chateau Le Pin 1981. Jacques Thienpoints hjertebarn Le Pin er ikke en vanlig vin å treffe på. Med en årlig produksjon på 7-9000 flasker er det ikke mye som kommer på markedet. Og det som kommer, det blir revet vekk! Sammenlignet med mange andre viner fra bordeaux så kan Le Pin kun skilte med historie tilbake til 1979, som var deres første årgang. Vinen er hundre prosent Merlot, selv om de har noen få vinstokker Cabernet Franc i vinmarkene sine. Årgang 1981 er ikke mye å skrive hjem om i Bordeaux, men det handler nok mer om den påfølgende årgangen som alle snakket og snakker om. Det er ikke lett å bokstavelig talt stå i skyggen av "århundrets" årgang. Regnet som falt i oktober var 1981s største problem. En del viner er i dag "lette" og mangler nerven, konsentrasjonen og strukturen til andre store årganger på 80-tallet som 82, 86 og 89. 

Vår Le Pin 81, rett fra flasken, var derimot meget konsentrert og fortsatt ungdommelig. Hyllebær og mørke kirsebær på nesen. Blåbær og skogsbær i munnen. Aromatisk og balansert. Mer en kruttpakke enn eleganse. Merkbare, men finstøvede tanninner. Må komme fra en perfekt kjeller. Dette var min første Le Pin, men forhåpentlig ikke den siste. 95 poeng.

2024	No priceNot available	Outstanding
2023	No priceNot available	Extraordinary
2022	No priceNot available	Extraordinary
2021	No priceNot available	Outstanding
2020	No priceNot available	Extraordinary

Category	Red wine
Vinmonopolet no.
Producer	Ch. Le Pin
Vintages	2012
Country	France, Bordeaux, Pomerol
Bottle	75 cl

Alcohol	%
Acid	%
Sugar	g/l

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