Chateau Le Pin
The Pomerol region is dotted with small wineries, and Château Le Pin is particularly small even by local standards. The Grand Vin's annual production is measured in the hundreds of cases rather than the thousands, making it one of the smallest and most recently established wineries among the leading producers in the Bordeaux region. The winery is owned by the Thienpont family, with Alexandre Thienpont serving as president. The vineyards are managed with a level of meticulous care that is only possible on a plot of this size. The label bears no cru classification; it simply reads AOC Pomerol. It is precisely these two factors, quality and rarity, that have built this winery's reputation, and the fact that it gained international attention more quickly than any other winery in the region was particularly decisive. In some vintages, when the grape quality falls short of their standards, they choose not to release any wine at all.
The history
Most great Bordeaux wineries took a century or two to build their reputations. Chateau Le Pin achieved this in a fraction of that time, which is precisely why it is considered one of the newest additions to the top tier of Bordeaux wineries.
The 1982 vintage brought this winery into the spotlight. Since then, interest has snowballed, and this wine has transformed from an obscure, unique offering from the Pomerol region into one of the most popular wines in the area.
The winery is owned by the Thienpont family, and Alexandre Thienpont manages the operation. His approach is, quite literally, perfectionist, and every decision made at the winery reflects this philosophy more clearly than any marketing strategy could.
Le Pin has been constantly compared to Petrus ever since, primarily because the two wines share the same appellation and price range. However, the two wines are distinct, and their production volumes differ by an incomparable margin.
The vineyards, treated like a garden
The first thing to understand about Chateau Le Pin is its scale. Located in the heart of Pomerol, this vineyard is small enough to allow for the meticulous care of each individual vine, plot by plot, much like a gardener would tend to a garden, rather than the approach inevitably taken by large-scale vineyards.
This scale sets an upper limit on production. The annual production of the Grand Vin is approximately 400 to 600 cases, which is only a fraction of the output of nearby well-known wineries. To put this in perspective, Petrus produces, on average, about six times this amount.
This level of scarcity is not a marketing decision. It is simply the limit dictated by such a small vineyard.
Merlot, and only Merlot
Pomerol is Merlot country, and Chateau Le Pin is the result of taking that concept to its logical extreme. This wine is a single-varietal wine, not a blend.
It contains absolutely no Cabernet Franc and no other grape to add harmony to the background. Everything poured into the glass comes from a single variety grown in one small vineyard, and this is one of the reasons why this wine possesses such a distinct character.
The winemaking at Le Pin
Château Le Pin is a dry red aged in oak barrels and sealed with a natural cork. There are no special techniques involved, and this winery did not need to resort to gimmicks to attract attention.
The most striking feature is the ripeness of the fruit. The alcohol content of recently bottled wines ranges from 14% to 14.5%, which is considered full-bodied by Bordeaux's standards.
The 2003 vintage best illustrates how Alexandre Thienpont operates. Because he was dissatisfied with that year's harvest, Le Pin was not released at all that year. For this winery, which already produces very limited quantities, abandoning an entire vintage is a costly way to make a statement, and it clearly demonstrates where their priorities lie.
Le Pin and Trilogie
Essentially, there is only one wine produced here, and it is named Chateau Le Pin after the winery. This single red wine, produced in Pomerol, is made in extremely limited quantities and released by vintage.
In addition to the main wine of this Chateau, Le Pin also produces the Trilogie, which bundles consecutive vintages into a single wine. A bit like Vega Sicilia Reservan Especial. Trilogie is a multi-vintage blend, which is unsual for Bordeaux, where non-vintage wines barely exist.
Barrels that are not selection for the grand vin are held back rather than bottled as a second wine each year. Three (in the past two) consecutive vintages of these declassified lots are then blended together and released without a vintage date.
This format is well-suited to have a opportunity to drink a Le Pin for a fraction of the price of the main wine.
Other than that, the winery does not offer other wines. It focuses on a single appellation, a single wine, and releases nothing in years when the harvest is unsatisfactory.
The best vintages of Le Pin
That is of course a matter of taste and preference. However there is a consensus (especially 1982, 2009, 2010). We rate from the following vintages to be some of the best: 1982, 1990, 1998, 2009, 2010, 2015, 2016.
Frequently asked questions
Is Chateau Le Pin a classified growth?
No. Pomerol wines carry no cru ranking, and Le Pin's classification line reads simply AOC Pomerol. Its standing comes from reputation and price, not from a classification list.
Why is Le Pin always compared to Petrus?
Both are Pomerol properties in the same rarefied price bracket, so the comparison is convenient. In practice the two wines are quite different in style, and Pétrus makes considerably more wine.
Is Le Pin a garagiste wine?
It is usually described as a forerunner of the garagiste movement, the wave of very small-scale, low-volume Bordeaux wines that emerged later. Le Pin was doing the tiny-production, high-attention thing before the term existed.
Who is in charge at the estate?
The Thienpont family owns Chateau Le Pin, and Alexandre Thienpont serves as president and runs the property.
