| Region of Production: | Pomerol AOP |
| Winery Location: | Pomerol |
| Year Established: | 1979 |
| Classification: | None |
Vineyard Holdings
2.7 ha
- 88% Merlot (conflicting reports for these percentages)
- 12% Cabernet Franc
Top Wines Produced & Inaugural Vintages
- Le Pin, Pomerol: Grand vin. 100% Merlot (2015 vintage). Fermented in small stainless steel tanks. Aged for 14 to 16 months in 100% new French oak barrels. Inaugural vintage 1979.
- Trilogie, Pomerol: A three-vintage blend from declassified lots.
Average Total Production
- 9,000 bottles
Summary
Unlike most of Pomerol’s top estates, Le Pin was founded in the 20th century and without a grand château, the first estate of the garagistemovement. The winery’s name comes from a lone pine tree whose branches shaded a small house near the top of the Pomerol plateau. The single hectare property belonged to the Loubie family from 1924 to 1979, during which time its fruit was sold off or blended into rather generic Pomerol wines. Le Pin, as it is known today, was founded by the Thienpont family, owners of Vieux Château Certan, who saw potential in this tiny unknown property and acquired it in 1979. Eventually, Le Pin and its ramshackle cellar fell into Jacques Thienpont’s hands, and in 1984, he expanded the vineyard by purchasing an adjacent vegetable patch, as well as additional small parcels of land in the ensuing years. Le Pin continues to remain a small enterprise, but it nonetheless attracts some of the highest prices for any Bordeaux wine, thanks to early acclaim from critics such as Robert Parker with its 1982 vintage. Thienpont completed a new winery facility in 2012 and has continued to acquire tiny bits of land into the 21st century, a handful of rows at a time.
Style & Vinification Techniques
Le Pin comes from a small, iron-rich, gravelly-clay vineyard near the highest point of the Pomerol plateau, with excellent drainage. Le Pin was likely the first Bordeaux estate to perform malolactic fermentation in barriques, more an act of necessity than a deliberate decision when additional tank space was needed. The wine, almost entirely Merlot, ages in 100% new French oak barrels for 14 to 16 months and is bottled unfiltered. Le Pin is celebrated for its opulence but perceived by some as overripe in certain vintages.
Producer Website: None