Le Pin - Château du Pin - Pomerol 2017 4df5d4d9d819b397555d03cedf085f48

Wine Advocate

97 / 100

byLisa Perrotti-Brownthe3/17/2020

Made from 100% Merlot, the deep garnet-purple colored 2017 Le Pin opens a little closed and broody, slowly unfurling to offer notes of baked plums, Black Forest cake and raspberry pie with touches of iron ore, crushed rocks, roses and star anise plus a waft of cardamom. Medium to full-bodied, the palate delivers the most jaw-dropping, exquisitely ripe tannins with amazingly seamless freshness and layer upon layer of red and black fruits, finishing with incredible energy and depth. WOW! Drinking Window : 2020 - 2055. 97+

Vinous

95 / 100

byAntonio Gallonithe3/11/2020

The 2017 Le Pin gained tremendously in élevage. Ripe, racy sumptuous to its core, Le Pin is super expressive today. Sweet floral notes and a kiss of French oak perk up the dark red cherry fruit in a Pomerol endowed with notable textural resonance. As always, Le Pin is a wine of real personality and character. The 2017 spent 18 months in French oak, 50% new.

Wine Spectator

98 / 100

byJames Molesworththe2/7/2020

A river of ganache-coated raspberry pâte de fruit flavors courses through this version, flecked liberally with anise notes and underscored by warm earth accents. Shows terrific concentration for the vintage, brimming with energy as the fruit cascades through a sweet, tobacco-accented finish that is ridiculously long. This transcends the general vintage profile, delivering extra depth and drive to the fruit. A tannic spine matches the fresh acidity. Best from 2022 through 2040. — JM

Jamessuckling.com

97 / 100

byJames Sucklingthe1/13/2020

This Le Pin is extremely linear and compact with tight, polished tannins that flow down the center of the palate. Full-to medium-bodied, succulent and tangy with orange-peel and hazelnut undertones. Dusty and polished at the same time. Superb length. Drink after 2022.

Jeb DUNNUCK

95-97 / 100

byJeb Dunnuckthe3/1/2019

Tasted out of barrel, the 2017 Le Pin doesn’t quite have the plushness of the 2016 and is more tight, focused, and reserved, yet it still has remarkable purity and class. Ample dark fruits, wood smoke, and charcoal notes all flow to a full-bodied Pomerol that has building tannins, terrific balance, and the undeniable sexy character of this estate front and center.

Vinous

93-96 / 100

byAntonio Gallonithe5/15/2018

Totally sensual and vivid in the glass, the 2017 Le Pin is gorgeous today. Silky tannins and lifted aromatics add finesse to the sumptuous fruit as the 2017 gradually unfurls in the glass. The sweet red cherry, tobacco, mint and white pepper notes are beautifully delineated. Above all else, though, Le Pin impresses for its impeccable balance and total sense of harmony. Readers who don't want to splurge on Le Pin should seriously consider Jacques Thienpont's Saint-Émilion L'If, which, I believe, has all the potential to equal or surpass Le Pin in the future.

The Wine Cellar Insider

96-98 / 100

byJeff Levethe5/11/2018

Produced from 100% Merlot, this wine evokes licorice, flowers, truffle, plum, rainforest and cherries in the bouquet. From there you'll discover the exotic, silken feel and perfectly sweet deep red fruits, which lead to the decadent, sensuously textured finish.

Vinous

93-95 / 100

byNeal Martinthe5/1/2018

The 2017 Le Pin, which has 100% new oak as usual, was cropped at 32hl/ha with 13.9° alcohol. It has a perfumed bouquet with dark cherries, a touch of blue fruit, cold stone and a hint of incense. This is more opulent than the Vieux-Château-Certan, but with a bit more sensuality if not quite the same degree of complexity. The palate is medium-bodied with ripe tannin, very smooth in texture with red fruit laced with sea salt and a suggestion of iodine. There is certainly good backbone to this Le Pin, although it is so silky towards the finish that it is barely tangible. A more backward Le Pin at the moment compared to the last three vintages but I am fascinated to see how this ages. Tasted twice and showing a little more structure in the second showing. Jacques Thienpont told me that around 500 cases will be produced.

Wine Advocate

94-96 / 100

byLisa Perrotti-Brownthe4/27/2018

Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2017 Le Pin (100% Merlot is a little reticent to begin, opening out to crushed black berries, warm black plums and wild blueberries with touches of forest floor, violets, star anise and cast iron pan with a waft of cigar box. Medium to full-bodied, it has a sensuous frame of very ripe, silken tannins and seamless freshness, flaunting a very elegant core of perfumed fruit and finishing with many, many mineral layers.

Decanter.com

94 / 100

byJane Ansonthe4/25/2018

No frost at Le Pin gave a normal yield of 32hl/ha, and the early season meant the harvest came in from 18-21 September. Picking over three days is relatively unusual here, and is something they ascribe to the arrival of Guillaume Thienpont over at Vieux Chateau Certan, as he looks after the viticulture through the year at both estates, along with his father Alexandre. This wine features some extremely bright spice, with touches of exoticism, tasted from a blend taken from 12 different barrels (the final blend happens only at the moment of bottling). It deepens and takes on plush definition with time in the glass, with those layers of featherlight but pulsating Le Pin tannins, but it displays more subtle opulence than in some years. All new oak, with malo in both Taransaud and Seguin Moreau barrels. 3.7pH.

Drinking Window 2026 - 2040

WeinWisser

19 / 20

byRené Gabrielthe4/25/2018

Jean-Marc QUARIN

17,5 / 20

byJean-Marc Quarinthe4/17/2018

Jamessuckling.com

96-97 / 100

byJames Sucklingthe4/6/2018

A squared and properly focused 2017 with chocolate, dark berries and silky tannins that envelop the palate. A Burgundian sensibility to this with a very fine texture of acidity and tannins that back up the elegant and supple fruit. A clarity and beauty to the wine.