2015 Château Le Pin
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Tasting notes
Tasted blind. Shaded garnet. Light nose. Sweet start but a little dull. Very muted. Does it just need time? A tad pinched on the end. (Another wine in this tasting, which, when its identity was revealed, made me wonder whether it was a perfect bottle.) (JR)
Critic scores
James Suckling
Jancis Robinson MW
More reviews and scores
The 2015 Le Pin is a vintage that has been a bit variable over the years. Now, at ten years old, it has a delightful raspberry- and strawberry-scented bouquet. However, as I asserted before, this is not the most complex showing that Jacques Thienpont has overseen, something that is exposed by juxtaposition against its peers. The palate is medium-bodied with a savory entry, supple tannins, a fine bead of acidity and a meaty tincture emerging toward the placid finish. It doesn't want to create a fuss. This drinks well, though there are better Le Pins from that decade. Tasted at the 2015 Ten-Year-On tasting at Bordeaux Index.
Lush, opulent waves of fully ripe fruits wash over you with an approaching-maturity Le Pin, and this is one to strap in to for the full sensory experience. White pepper and sage spice, fresh figs and crushed raspberries, layers of cocoa bean and tobacco, with a sharper mandarin peel and slate finish. Gorgeous, a benchmark in this tasting.
The 2015 Château Le Pin showed beautifully, with an elegant, almost Burgundian style in its weight and texture. Darker raspberries, ripe cherries, spicy wood, tobacco, and loamy earth are followed by a beautifully textured, medium to full-bodied, balanced red that’s surprisingly accessible and open, and probably on a faster evolutionary track than the 2016. It's a brilliant, seamless, incredibly seductive Pomerol to enjoy over the coming 15-20 years.
About the producer
Owned by Jacques Thienpont, Le Pin is, without doubt, one of the most famous names in wine. One of the three great names of Pomerol, alongside Pétrus and Ch. Lafleur, it is one of the rarest, most expensive and finest wines in Bordeaux – if not the world.