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  • Weather

    3° C Overcast clouds
  • Time

    05:04 AM
  • Wine average?

    98 Tb
  • Country Ranking?

    8
  • Region Ranking?

    8
  • Popularity ranking?

    52

News

The Remarkable Rise of Le Pin

It took Bordeaux centuries to create great wine, Jacques Thienpont did it in just 30 years

By WILL LYONS

Near the medieval town of Libourne in southwestern France, the vineyards of Pomerol fan out northeast, covering the landscape like a quilted blanket of vines, an agricultural scene punctured only by the soaring neo-Gothic spire of Saint-Jean de Pomerol towering above the tiny appellation. Navigation th...

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History

The term "garagiste", used in a good sense as often as in a bad one, was coined to describe those small producers in Bordeaux whose production, according to wine writer Michel Bettane, "was so small that it would fit into a garage". The contrast with the grandiose wine castles in the region is huge, especially if you look at Le Pin at the best spot in Pomerol and the initiator of the boom. The tiny, haphazardly plastered building looks more li...

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Vineyards

The holdings represent now 2.5 hectares, on sandy gravel soil of Pomerol on the right bank of the Gironde Estuary, the vines are 40 years old on average and they are planted with 92% of Merlot and the rest is Cabernet Franc. The very singular composition of the soil is responsible for the exceptional law yielding (around 35 hl/hc) giving way to a super concentrated Merlot. The grapes are harvested by hand and vinified in stainless steel vats t...

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Winemaking

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.

Soil:   gravel and clay with a little sand, Production area: 5 ha Grape varieties:  Merlot almost 100% (some Cabernet Franc) Average age of vines:  32 years Harvest method: hand picke...

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Inside information

Chateau Le Pin using NFC to ensure authenticity of wine

When it comes to high-class brands of wine, there is always the risk of counterfeiting or fraud due to their high-value. The price of a single bottle of French Bordeaux, from Chateau Le Pin, ranges from $3,000 to $10,000, and thus trafficking of forgeries is a highly-lucrative business for the counterfeiters. These counterfeiters can attach the photocopied labels of cult and other rare...

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Winemaking since 1979

  • Jacques Thienpont

    Owner AND MANAGER
    “luxury is all about quality; it can’t be created by an advertising agency. We have no marketing plan, the taste and ageabilty are the two most important factors”.
  • Jeff Leve

    Writer
    Make sure you swallow the wine. Rumor has it, visitors that spit are never invited back to Le Pin.
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