Chateau Le Pin 2017

A river of ganache-coated raspberry pâte de fruit flavors courses through this version, flecked liberally with anise notes and underscored by warm earth accents. Shows terrific concentration for the vintage, brimming with energy as the fruit cascades through a sweet, tobacco-accented finish that is ridiculously long. This transcends the general vintage profile, delivering extra depth and drive to the fruit. A tannic spine matches the fresh acidity. Best from 2022 through 2040.

No frost at Le Pin gave a normal yield of 32hl/ha, and the early season meant the harvest came in from 18-21 September. Picking over three days is relatively unusual here, and is something they ascribe to the arrival of Guillaume Thienpont over at Vieux Chateau Certan, as he looks after the viticulture through the year at both estates, along with his father Alexandre. This wine features some extremely bright spice, with touches of exoticism, tasted from a blend taken from 12 different barrels (the final blend happens only at the moment of bottling). It deepens and takes on plush definition with time in the glass, with those layers of featherlight but pulsating Le Pin tannins, but it displays more subtle opulence than in some years. All new oak, with malo in both Taransaud and Seguin Moreau barrels. 3.7pH.

This Le Pin is extremely linear and compact with tight, polished tannins that flow down the center of the palate. Full-to medium-bodied, succulent and tangy with orange-peel and hazelnut undertones. Dusty and polished at the same time. Superb length. Drink after 2022.

The 2017 Le Pin was bottled in March 2019 according to Fiona Morrison MW and co-proprietor. It has a clean and precise bouquet with perfumed black cherry and bilberry fruit, crushed iris petals and light iodine aromas. This feels very elegant and focused. The palate is medium-bodied with fine grain tannins. It has a gentle texture with a fine bead of acidity that keeps this Pomerol balanced on tiptoes. Fresh and energetic with judicious touches of cedar and cracked black pepper towards the finish. Excellent.

Produced from 100% Merlot, this wine evokes licorice, flowers, truffle, plum, rainforest and cherries in the bouquet. From there you'll discover the exotic, silken feel and perfectly sweet deep red fruits, which lead to the decadent, sensuously textured finish.

Dark ruby, violet glints with a slightly paler hue at the rim. A bouquet of fine spicy hardwood notes, a hint of cloves, black berry fruit, tobacco spice as well as fresh orange zest, multi-faceted bouquet. Complex, taut, ripe cherry tones, flanked by firm tannins with a subtle chocolate touch, saline-minerality followed by lovely spicy nuances. Persistent, good ageing potential.

The usual 100% Merlot from this tiny vineyard that borders Vieux Chateau Certain, brought up all in new oak, the deep purple-hued 2017 Chateau Le Pin offers a sexy, full-bodied, exuberant style that's loaded with personality and is unquestionably up with the top handful of wines in the vintage. A massive nose of creme de cassis, toasted spice, caramel, graphite, and white chocolate emerges from the glass and, as always, this cuvee is extroverted and exotic, with tons of personality. This sexy, exotic Pomerol has beautiful depth of fruit, no hard edges, and a rocking finish. You'd be excused for drinking bottles today, it's that good, yet it will be even better with 7-8 years of bottle age and should cruise for 20-25 years in cool cellars.

100% Merlot, 32 hl/ha, 13.9% ABV. Purple garnet colour with a saturated core and violet highlights. A concentrated, spicy bouquet, almost black-berried in character, with herbal notes, sloe juice and hints of Darjeeling. On the second nose, elderberry and cumin. A powerful palate with silky tannins and a fine, powdery tannin texture. A dense, catapult-like finish with notes of graphite, cardamom, truffle and dried wild cherry. A magnificent, profound Pomerol with tremendous potential, back among the very top tier of Pomerol. Just behind Trotanoy and Pétrus.

Kunz Fassprobe 18: (100% Merlot, 32 hl/ha, 13.9% vol. alcohol) A velvety, fresh, finely creamy, complex bouquet: strawberry jelly, vanilla powder, mint, raspberries, delicate herbal notes. An balanced, silky, fragrant, fresh palate with a creamy, elegant structure, powerful, multifaceted, sweet aromatics, fine tannins, very good fruit, and a very long, fine finish with sweet notes on the aftertaste. (19/20). 18: René Gabriel. Barrel sample: a straightforward, precisely focused wine with lots of red berries. On the palate it feels perfumed, like a Musigny. Overall, it shows the slightly lighter side of the vintage. (18/20).

(100% Merlot, 32 hl/ha, 13.9% vol.) A velvety, fresh, subtly creamy, complex bouquet with strawberry jelly, vanilla powder, mint, raspberries and delicate herbal notes. The palate is balanced, silky, fragrant and fresh, with a creamy, elegant structure, generous, multi-layered, sweet-leaning aromatics, fine tannins and excellent fruit. Very long, refined finish with sweet echoes on the aftertaste. 19/20 2024 - 2042

The 2017 Le Pin is medium to deep garnet-purple in color. It opens up into an evocative aria of Morello cherries, black raspberries, juicy blackberries, and lilacs, with touches of star anise, lavender, cast iron pan, and peat moss, plus a hint of dried roses. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is beautifully poised with satiny tannins and a lively line lifting the intense, perfumed black and red fruits, finishing long and fragrant. Although it would be a shame to drink it now, it is so very tempting. If you do so, Jacques Thienpont (the owner) recommends at least a 3 hour decant. Two of Pomerol's most extraordinary vineyards are owned by members of the Thienpont family: Vieux Chateau Certan by Alexandre Thienpont and Le Pin by Jacques Thienpont, who are cousins. While the sites are a brief 5-minute drive by car from one another, the terroirs are very different. VCC is 1/3 each of clay, clay-gravel, and gravel, while Le Pin is mainly gravel with clay which lies about 2-3 meters below. Both properties knocked it out of the park during the trio of 2015, 2016, and 2017 vintages.

Remarkable for its balance, floral freshness, distinction, and tannins that are both silky and fresh. A sensual, soaring finish. The wine gradually gains in complexity and will evolve beautifully.

Deep purplish crimson. From the first impression, the bouquet impresses not only with its intensity but also with its clarity and precision. Plenty of berries, both black and red. A subtle mineral note and hints of licorice wood. The attack is flavorful, compact and expressive. The tannins are fine-grained and settle very slowly across the palate. They are in perfect harmony with the acidic structure and provide a fine framework for the overall palate. The touch of bitterness on the finish is a fine counterpoint to the silky expression of the tannins, which are powerful yet refined. A great le Pin.

Dark, vibrant colour. Intense nose with ripe, subtle fruit and as fragrant as ever. On this front, this wine is unrivalled, even in its earliest youth. The palate is just as magical and velvety, with brilliance of flavour and a spicy note that emerges on the finish. Everything melts together, fills the mouth with perfume, and is utterly impossible to spit out. It’s Le Pin in devilish form! Alcohol level: 13.5%. Vineyard unaffected by frost.