-
Country ranking ?
837
-
Producer ranking ?
26
-
Decanting time
6h
-
When to drink
from 2025
-
Food Pairing
-
Food Pairing
Rib Eye Steaks with Demi-Glace and White Bean Purée
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.
Close
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...
Close
In the vineyard just across from the current temporary cellar, the old house (it could not be called a Chateau!) has been knocked down and a very contemporary looking building which will comprise winery, chai and reception/tasting rooms is currently rising from the ashes and is due for completion in summer 2011. The 2011 Le Pin will therefore be made in Jacques' brand new winery which he describes as "my 65th Birthday present to myself !".
...
Close
The 2011 vintage is not easy to handle.
Smith Haut Lafitte not only makes great white and red wine from Bordeaux in Pessac Léognan, they are also at the cutting edge of technology. They were one of the first Bordeaux wine producers to begin using optical sorting, which came in handy with the difficult 2011 Bordeaux harvest. Fabien Teitgen, long-time general manager, joined us for a long detailed conversation about what happened at Smith Hau...
Close
Latest Pro-tasting notes
12 tasting notes
Tasting note
Be the first one to
make a 20s tasting note!
Written Notes
This is a full bodied, gentle, sophisticated wine. Typical of Le Pin, it is classy, complex with lovely length and finesse. Flavors range from violets to blackberries, fresh Chinese red dates and cassis. There are tobacco and spice notes with caressing flavors and the tannins are velvety, ripe and the finish very long.
94 points
Fleshy and forward, with delicious mulled plum, raspberry and blackberry fruit melded with warm embers, a hint of anise and a long, silky, graphite-tinged finish. Shows lovely range and depth, all within an accessible style.
Boysenberry, chocolate, earth and plum scents open to a fresh, spicy, supple-textured, flashy style of Pomerol ending with a silky, opulent red and black plum finish. 94-95 Pts
Load more notes
Information
Vintage Quality
Excellent
Value For Money
Satisfactory
Investment potential
Average
Fake factory
Be Cautious
Glass time
2h
Drinking temperature
17
Inside Information
|
Tasted blind, the Le Pin 2010 stick out like...well...a pin. The fruit is incredibly intense, much more so than just over a year ago, adorned with a hypnotic floral element that just explodes from the glass. The palate is medium-bodied and comes out of the blocks sprinting with vibrant spicy black fruit laced with cracked black pepper. The tannins feel firm in the mouth, lending this wondrous structure and precision, whilst the finish is extraordinarily long. Fabulous - Jacques Thienpont's wine is just getting into its stride. Tasted January 2014. 97p
|
|
|
Neal Martin, eRobertParker.com, February 2014
Made from 100% Merlot (one percent for each rating point I've assigned), this wine is explosively rich and compelling. Dense plum/purple, it boasts the remarkable delineation and freshness that are hallmarks of this vintage. From a much smaller production than normal because of Merlot's poor flowering, the very hot, dry growing and harvest conditions, this is a super-endowed, very rich Le Pin with its exotic new oak largely buried behind its extravagant concentration, power and richness. I don't know what its natural alcohol level is, but I suspect it is pushing 15% in 2010. Rich, tannic, but exceptionally well-endowed, this is a sublime example of Merlot at its very finest. Forget it for 5-7 years (which is somewhat unusual for Le Pin) and drink it over the following three decades.
Score: 100Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (205), March 2013
|
Dreamlike deep nose with blackberries, graphite and some smoky notes. Opens with licorice, vanilla and red fruit. Full and intensely fruity on the palate with lots of dark berries. Complex, dense and deeply structured with polished tannins and a great finish that just goes on and on. The balance is amazing. Even better than 2009. Drink from 2018.
|
| Score: 100 |
James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com, February 2013
|
|
|
Blend from different barrels. Very dark crimson and voluptuous. Lovely combination of richness, savour and freshness. A big step up. Fresh minerality on the finish. Jacques Thienpont was worried about the Merlots, and Alexandre Thienpont encouraged picking here so that he could pick at Vieux Château Certan. Most unusual freshness. Sinewy. Really racy but with great density. Had two Oz oenologists on hand in case they needed help in alcohol reduction but in the event didn't need to use them. Jacques says he would like to have waited a little longer but the results aren't too bad, are they?
|
| Score: 18 |
Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com, April 2011 |
Read more
