Château Le Pin 2011
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 2011 Reviews / Tasting Notes
Robert Parker - The Wine Advocate
Point Score: 95
Caramelized fruit, coffee bean, espresso, black cherry liqueur, licorice and spice aromas jump from the glass of this dark ruby/plum-colored wine. Concentrated and silky-textured, this full-bodied, voluptuous wine is a brilliant example of the 2011 vintage. Give it 2-4 more years in the bottle and enjoy it over the next 15 or more.
Wine Spectator
Point Score: 95
Solidly built, with seamless layers of fig, currant and boysenberry pate de fruit forming the bulk of the wine, while alluring black tea and ganache notes fill in the background. Big and broad, offering a caressing feel and ample fruit. Best from 2016 through 2030.
Stephen Tanzer - Vinous
Point Score: 91-94
(100% merlot, harvested on September 12 and 13; 3.7 pH; 35 h/h; 13.3% alcohol): Opaque ruby-purple. Brooding nose hints at very pure cassis, violet and milk chocolate. Dense, rich and serious, with deep cassis and mineral flavors firmed by noble tannins. Very long and pure on the aftertaste. Considering the amount of gravel in the soil here, Le Pin has done a standout job in 2011. This is the year the estate inaugurated its small new chai designed by Belgian architect Paul Robbrecht, with seven stainless steel vats ranging between 15 and 45 hectoliters in capacity. Jacques Thienpont told me that this will allow for greater precision in harvesting the property's various parcels.