Château Le Pin 2001
Chateau Le Pin, or simply Le Pin, is a Bordeaux wine from the appellation Pomerol. The unusually small estate is located on the Right Bank of France's Gironde estuary in the commune of Pomerol near the hamlet of Catusseau, Chateau Le Pin is frequently one of the world's most expensive red wines.
Madame Laubie, whose family had owned Chateau Le Pin since 1924 sold the one hectare vineyard in 1979 to the Belgian Jacques Thienpont for 1 million francs. The vineyards were developed by Jacques Thienpont whose family own the neighbouring Vieux Chateau Certan, and the wine at Chateau Le Pin was produced in tiny quantities from a farmhouse basement. The property was already called Le Pin from a solitary pine tree that grows near the winery. Today the estate comprises 2,7 hectares in one contiguous vineyard surrounding the winery. In 2011 a new winery, designed by the Belgian architectural practice Robbrecht en Daem architecten, was inaugurated using small microcuves and gravity to move Chateau Le Pin wine.
Chateau Le Pin is considered by some a predecessor of the "garage wines", although this idea is rejected by many, including by the proprietors, on the basis of the merits of the terroir, and the absence of extreme measures to compensate for mediocre grapes.
Chateau Le Pin occasionally the most expensive wine in the world, continually receiving high wine ratings from wine critics and produced in extremely small numbers, Chateau Le Pin bottles are a constant presence on the wine auction market.
The winery is currently managed by Jacques Thienpont, and additional tiny plots of land have been acquired. Chateau Le Pin is among the clients of the oenologist Dany Rolland, wife of Michel Rolland.
Vineyard
Surface area: 5 acres
Grape Varieties: 92% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc
Average age of vines: 28 years
Density of plantation: 6,000 vines per hectare
Average yields: 34 hectoliters per hectare
Average cases produced: 600 per year
Plateau of maturity: 8 - 25 years
Château Le Pin 2001 Reviews / Tasting Notes
Robert Parker - The Wine Advocate
Point Score: 98
A tremendous effort, this 500-case cuvee (one of Bordeaux's original garage operations) is even better in 2001 than it was in 2000. Its deep ruby/plum/purple color is accompanied by an extraordinary perfume of creme de cassis, cherry liqueur, plums, licorice, caramel, and sweet toast. This flamboyant, opulently textured, rich, concentrated Pomerol is a brilliant success as well as one of the wines of the vintage for 2001. Its low acidity and extraordinary ripeness suggest early drinkability, but it has proven it can last for 18-20 years.
Wine Spectator
Point Score: 95-100
Honey and sweet red fruits. Like a great Pinot Noir. Superfine. Silky and seductive. La Tache of Pomerol this year. Score range: 95-100
Stephen Tanzer - Vinous
Point Score: 89-91
Bright ruby-red. Aromas of bitter cherry, roast coffee, dark chocolate and tobacco. Fairly dense and thick, but still youthfully tight; a bit heavy for this wine at this stage. Flavors of bitter cherry, dark chocolate and spicy oak. Finishes long and firmly tannic. A second barrel showed a more perfumed, Burgundian nose; hints of herbs and tobacco leaf on the palate; and less obvious sweetness but more complexity. Will this have the concentration for outstanding? Carrying just 12.2% alcohol, but then these stressed vines rarely produce freakishly high grape sugars.