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The 2020 Le Pin is a smaller production of 4,000 bottles this year, a combination of lower yields and half a hectare pulled up because of court-noué virus. There is also less new oak at 70% and it was bottled in June. It has a precocious and quite opulent bouquet with layers of pure black cherries, blueberry, crushed violet and a touch of freshly-tilled loam. The palate is medium-bodied with sculpted tannins, fleshy and poised, the new oak succinctly assimilated (an astute decision to moderate that) with a lick of Valrona chocolate towards the finish. Very persistent in the mouth, this is a superb Pomerol from the Thienponts. Drink 2022-2045
The 2020 Le Pin is a smaller production of 4,000 bottles this year, a combination of lower yields and half a hectare pulled up because of court-noué virus. There is also less new oak at 70% and it was bottled in June. It has a precocious and quite opulent bouquet with layers of pure black cherries, blueberry, crushed violet and a touch of freshly-tilled loam. The palate is medium-bodied with sculpted tannins, fleshy and poised, the new oak succinctly assimilated (an astute decision to moderate that) with a lick of Valrona chocolate towards the finish. Very persistent in the mouth, this is a superb Pomerol from the Thienponts. Drink 2022-2045
The 2020 Le Pin, tasted with Jacques Thienpont in Pomerol, is limpid in the glass. It has an impressively pixelated nose with layers of dark plum, raspberry, slate and subtle potpourri scents. Unlike some recent vintages, this politely asks you to be patient and then unfurls at its own stately pace. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins and a fine bead of acidity. This does not set out to be a powerful Le Pin, but it gently builds to deliver a very precise, quite spicy finish that has very long persistence. Superb salinity on the aftertaste, not a million miles away from Lafleur despite the differences in composition (“Don’t ask me why…” commented Jacques Thienpont when I enquired about that aspect.) Give this 4-6 years in bottle and watch it blossom over many. Drink 2027-2050
The 2020 Le Pin is magnificent. What a wine. Seamless and exotic, the 2020 races across the palate with sumptuous dark fruit and a whole range of rose petal, spice and hard candy overtones that build into the explosive mid-palate and finish. I especially admire how the 2020 opens with some aeration. New oak is down from 100% to 70%, which really allows the purity of the fruit to shine through. Yields were 30 hectoliters per hectare, down from the more typical 35 or so, but overall production for Le Pin in bottles is much lower, as about only half of the vineyards were used. The rest went into the second wine, with the exception of a small parcel that is being redeveloped. In short: What more can I ask from a wine? Nothing. Drink 2030-2060
The aromatics take a few beats to arrive, and then show pure, bright blue and red berry fruits with incredible density and a pure velvet texture. This is a brilliant Le Pin - seductive, with the density and pleasure you expect from this estate, with slow delivery of pure black berry fruits and a toasted coffee and cocoa bean finish with cooler waves of gunsmoke and earth. A wine that you will take your time over, and that will give the best of itself with at least a decade in bottle. Keeps opening and deepening the longer that it stays in the glass. A yield of 24hl/ha (usually no higher than 34hl/ha so this is not so unusual). Sandy/gravel over clay soils. Harvest 14, 16 and 21 September. Malolactic fermentation in barrel. Drink 2028-2044 (JA)
Typically seductive with a density of fruit and opulent form and texture. Aromatically alluring with zesty red fruit and floral notes and a hint of chocolate from the oak. Tannins very suave and dense. Point of salinity to give balance but the alcohol does show. (JL) 14.5% Drink 2027 – 2045
The small sub-region of Pomerol is situated north-east of the industrious city of Libourne. Pomerol's soils are predominately iron-rich clay with a smattering of gravel that produce wines with extraordinary power and depth. As a result of this clay-dominance, it has the highest percentage of Merlot planted in all of Bordeaux. Certain châteaux are produced exclusively from this grape, but most incorporate smaller quantities of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc as well. Despite its hefty (if not exclusive) proportion of Merlot, many people think of wines from this region as separate entities. As one wine aficionado stated recently, "It's not Merlot. It's Pomerol." Despite the region's small size, Pomerol contains some of the world's most sought after (and expensive) wines including Pétrus, Le Pin, Lafleur, l'Evangile and Vieux Château Certan. Unlike other Bordelais subregions, there is no system of classification. The châteaux are traded on reputation alone.
