| Region | |
|---|---|
| Subregion | France > Bordeaux > Right Bank > Pomerol |
| Colour | Red |
| Type | Still |
View all vintages of this wine | View all wines by Château Le Pin
The 2012 Le Pin exhibits a surprisingly opaque purple color, moderately high tannin, deep mocha and jammy berry characteristics, unexpected headiness, an alcoholic blast and lots of glycerin and fruit. This beauty should come into its own in 4-5 years, and last for 15 or more.
This 100% Merlot cuvee is a fresher, lighter-styled effort than this estate's blockbuster 2009 and 2010, but it is surprisingly intense with plenty of weight, clout and class. Yields were a tiny 30 hectoliters per hectare (due to poor flowering and excessive drought), and the wine was produced from fruit harvested between October 2 and 5.
This is the essence of Le Pin with incredible silk texture and beautiful fruit. A berry, sweet-tobacco, chocolate and dusty undertone. It reminds me of many wonderful and underrated Le Pins of the 1980s like 1985 or 1986. What a wine. Better in 2018. But who can wait? Cystal clear. It's like the 2001 that was always better than 2000.
A beautiful wine, showing slate, crushed rock and pulses of minerality against the silky satiny texture that is signature of Le Pin and the classic brushed velvet tannins of Pomerol. Succulent, limbering up towards its drinking window but will power ahead for another few years. 32hl/h yield.
Deep dark cherry colour. Extreme fruit purity, crunchy and deep, with a mineral edge and light earthiness to counteract the fruit sweetness. Generous but not fat or slouching. Shows its origin, the well-drained gravel soils, not just the high quality of the fruit. Dry finish but not at all drying. Long and delicious. Very hard to spit even though it is a little after 10 am. (JH)
Jacques Thienpont prefers his 2012 to his 2011, but I found the wine difficult to taste from
barrel this year, partly because the oak seemed a little aggressive. For all that, it's still a very
good Le Pin, with the perfume and refinement that distinguishes this cult wine. Focused and
sweet with red berry and coffee notes and a hint of greenness.
Drink: 2020-35
Tasted blind at the Southwold 2012 tasting, 2012 Le Pin put in a very strong performance. It has a strict, graphite-infused bouquet that is strangely Pauillac-like (not a trait I have noticed on other vintages; I wonder whether it is just a passing phase?). This is earthier than its peers, with hints of leather in the background and sous-bois aromas becoming more and more accentuated by time. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, elegant and understated in style with a fine line of acidity, harmonious and thankfully not screaming and shouting towards the stylish finish. This is an outstanding wine from Jacques Thienpont that might well be unfairly over-shadowed by the 2009 and 2010. Tasted January 2016.
The Le Pin was cropped between 1st and 3rd October at 32hl/ha and achieved a relatively high IPT of 77. After fifteen day fermentation and a short maceration it was run off into new barrels (Seguin Moreau and Taransaud) on 22nd October. It offers plenty of pure dark cherry, blackcurrant and cassis fruit on the nose with superb delineation and freshness. It opens wonderfully over five or ten minutes offering a subtle brine/black olive note, the oak deftly integrated into the fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with a hint of dark chocolate on the entry. There is good weight and tension although towards the finish there is a patina of wood that should be subsumed throughout its maturation. This strict, correct and upstanding Le Pin would benefit from a touch of flesh, but it is a stylish Pomerol for sure. Tasted April 2013.
This is phenomenal for the vintage. Aromas of roses, blueberries and clay. Full and dense yet it finishes long and agile. It goes on for minutes. Truly a great bottle here. It's the 2001 in the remake, which was better than 2000. This is 100 percent Merlot. Normally a tiny percent of Cabernet Franc too. Only 500 cases.
