x
  • Country ranking ?

    55
  • Producer ranking ?

    2
  • Decanting time

    4h
  • When to drink

    now to 2040
  • Food Pairing

    Lamb Loin with Carrot Risotto

The Tb points given to this wine are the world’s most valid and most up-to-date evaluation of the quality of the wine. Tastingbook points are formed by the Tastingbook algorithm which takes into account the wine ratings of the world's best-known professional wine critics, wine ratings by thousands of tastingbook’s professionals and users, the generally recognised vintage quality and reputation of the vineyard and winery. Wine needs at least five professional ratings to get the Tb score. Tastingbook.com is the world's largest wine information service which is an unbiased, non-commercial and free for everyone.

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This is undeniably the greatest Le Pin I have tasted at such an infantile age. There are about 500 cases of this wine, which is made by the Thienpoint family, the owners of Vieux Chateau Certan. One hundred percent Merlot, it continues to possess the exoticism of previous vintages, but the oak at present is far better crafted and integrated than in the debut vintage of 1979. Exceptional purity and a blockbuster nose of mocha, black cherry liqueur, mulberries and plums are followed by an extravagantly rich wine that seems to have a nearly endless finsih. Truly haute couture of Merlot, so to speak, this wine has a finish that goes well past a minute, with wonderfully sweet tannins and a provocative concentrated, broad mouthfeelp that is remarkably luxurious. This is amazing stuff! It should drink well for 20-25 years.

Score: 100 Robert Parker, Wine Advocate, March 2012

A great classic, the 2009 Le Pin (100% Merlot) displays unreal density and a profound flavor profile, but also reveals good structure and elegance. Even though it is aged in 100% new oak, no wood is detectable, which is a tip off to what we are dealing with in the most extraordinary 2009s. The oak and tannins are often totally unnoticeable because of the sheer magnitude and mass of fruit and glycerin. This 2009, made in the style of the 1982, should drink well for 25 or more years. (Tasted once.) Drink 2010-2035.

Score: 95/98 Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (188), April 2010

Picked on 22nd and 25th September from younger vines and then older, a blend assembled by Jacques Thienpont direct from barrel, delivering 13.5% alcohol and a pH 3.7, the '09 Le Pin has a very pure lifted bouquet of blueberry, blackberry, a touch of black plum and a hint of truffle. The palate is full-bodied with quite sinewy tannins, just a little aggression at the moment, which will be softened during elevage. A compact Le Pin at the moment, quite linear and strict towards the finish then a hint of spice on the aftertaste. I feel that this is not showing its best at the moment, but it should meld together nicely by the time of bottling. Tasted April 2010.

Score: 92/94 Neal Martin, RobertParker.com, April 2010

This shows intense fruit, with plums, boysenberry and cherries with cocoa, black olives and coffee bean. Amazing aromas. Full-bodied, with ultra-fine tannins and fabulous fruit. Such length and class to this. Wonderfully crafted. Best Le Pin since the perfect 1998. Try in 2020.

Score: 99 James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com, February 2012

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The Story

Château Le Pin, or simply Le Pin, is an unclassed Bordeaux wine from the appellation Pomerol. There has never been an official classification of Pomerol. Even so, Chateau Le Pin commands prices that put it at levels equal to the best wines of Bordeaux. The unusually small estate is located on the Right Bank of France’s Gironde estuary, and its wine is periodically one of the world's most expensive red wines. Le Pin was the first of the "garage wines" or microchateau that have become cult collector wines. These wines defy the traditional classifications.
 

Madame Laubie, whose family had owned the plot since 1924 sold the vineyard in 1979 to the Belgian Thienpont family for 1 million francs. Developed by Marcel and Gérard Thienpont on less than 2 hectares, wine was produced by microcuvée from a farmhouse basement. The property was given the name Le Pin by the Thienponts from a solitary pine tree that shades the property. By acquiring tiny adjoining plots of land, Jacques has doubled the size of Le Pin to five acres.

Occasionally the most expensive wine in the world, continually receiving high ratings from wine critics and produced in extremely small numbers, Le Pin bottles are a constant presence on the wine auction market. Le Pin produces just 600 to 700 cases each year.
Currently managed by Jacques Thienpont, additional tiny plots of land have been acquired. Some years no wine is produced.

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Vintage 2009

Much like 1947, 1961 and 2005, 2009 is a year of almost overly (for Bordeaux) flamboyant and opulent wines with high maturity and low acidity. The tannins are exceptionally ripe, while the wines are quite voluptuous in style. The Left Bank recorded more hours of sunshine than legendary vintages such as 1947 and 1982, and the grapes had higher sugar concentrations than in 2003 and 2005. The key was significant diurnal temperature variations that allowed the grapes to withstand hot daytime temperatures. An exceptional vintage on all levels.

 

 

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Average Bottle Price

2015 2013
2 902€ +1.6% 2 855€

This data comes from the FINE Auction Index, a composite of average prices for wines sold at commercial auctions in 20 countries. The average prices from each year have been collected since 1990. This chart plots the index value of the average price of the wines.

Tasting note

color

Deep and Bright

ending

Long, Extensive and Flavorful

nose

Intense, Pure, Complex and Fresh

recommend

Yes

taste

Average in Acidity, Warming, Complex, Good texture, Youthful, Firm, Vigor, Ripe and Silky tannins

Verdict

Intelligent and Fine

Written Notes

Tasted blind. Looks quite evolved. Meaty nose. Some freshness and real concentration. Tastes more like a left- than a right-bank wine though it’s amazingly long and confident. Only just ready to drink. Very rich and velvet-textured.

  • 96p

The 2009 Le Pin has a very gorgeous, mellow bouquet with plenty of red fruit infused with leather, mocha and light Cuban cigar aromas. This is not a million miles away from Petrus. The palate is medium-bodied with velvety tannin, slightly lower acidity than its peers yet remaining balanced. Gains depth and complexity towards the finish with touches of cedar and sage. I love the way this fans out and lingers in the mouth. Not a perfect wine, but an outstanding Le Pin. Tasted blind at Farr Vintners’ 2009 Bordeaux tasting.

  • 97p

Tasted blind. Looks quite evolved. Meaty nose. Some freshness and real concentration. Tastes more like a left- than a right-bank wine though it’s amazingly long and confident. Only just ready to drink. Very rich and velvet-textured.

  • 96p

Intense colour, crimson highlights. Concentrated nose blending liquorice and black fruits with a subtle vanilla-like note. Hugely dense, powerful palate with ripe tannins that are already closely-integrated. A full, robust approach to Pomerol.

  • 96p

Plums, spices, blackberries, truffles. This wine doesn't just enter your mouth, it glides over the tongue with very fine, velvety tannins and layers of exotic flavours. If a wine has a soul, this one is deep, complex and linked to its heritage, expressing the potential of its site. The flavours are symphonic and the length is extremely long. This is simply a gorgeous wine.

  • 98p

This wine showed very fresh, meaty and silky texture, great intensity and concentration, sophisticated touch and stunning length. Incredibly exciting wine.

  • 98p
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Information

Origin

Pomerol, Bordeaux

Vintage Quality

Extraordinary

Value For Money

Very good

Investment potential

Very Good

Fake factory

None

Glass time

4h

Drinking temperature

16
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