2025 Le Pin
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Tasting notes
The 2025 Le Pin was picked in two passes through the vines on September 5 and 10 at just 20 hl/ha due to the small berry size, matured in two-thirds new oak and one-third one-year-old (Seguin Moreau and Taransaud). The younger vines that were stressed were not used in the blend. It takes time to unfold on the nose, with red berry fruit, black truffle and veins of graphite. The oak is very discretely used here. The palate is medium-bodied with velvety tannins, fine depth, though this is more a linear, vertical Le Pin rather than the more flamboyant 2022. A tingle of white and black pepper, a dab of licorice towards the finish that lingers temptingly. I suspect this will demand three to five years to really show its mettle.
Critic scores
Average Score
Neal Martin, Vinous
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
More reviews and scores
A heavenly, wow-inducing wine in the vintage, the 2025 Château Le Pin is 100% Merlot from yields of just 20 hectoliters per hectare, which was harvested on September 4 after the rains to help carry a touch more generosity and charm. Resting in 65% new French oak, it has a Grand Cru Burgundy-like style in its framboise, spicy wood, dried flowers, and graphite-driven aromatics. Full-bodied on the palate, it has a deep, layered, seamless mouthfeel, ultra-fine, velvety tannins, and flawless balance, all carried through a gorgeous finish. Hitting 14% alcohol with a pH of 3.79, I'd say this is one of the wines of the vintage, and it brings more richness, sexiness, and texture than most. It will be impossible to find given the tiny quantities, but wow, what a wine.
The 2025 Le Pin is a wild, exotic beauty. Deeply layered spice overtones and a kiss of French oak lead into a core of vibrant dark-fleshed fruit. In this tasting, Le Pin comes across as a bit heavy and monolithic, largely because of yields that were just 20 hectoliters per hectare. I am sure those who can taste Le Pin will adore it, but personally, I prefer the greater tension and energy of its sibling, L'If, a much more contemporary wine that also costs about 1/20th the price. Expect the 2025 Le Pin to be rare (only ten barrels produced) and very pricey. The big news at Le Pin is that the estate has added a choice parcel measuring about one hectare planted with Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon that formerly belonged to L'Evangile. That will increase Le Pin's planted surface area from two to three hectares (plus another 0.7 hectares that are being redeveloped). Sadly, this is the last vintage made by Guillaume Thienpont.
Picked in just two days, with hand sorting to eliminate any raisined berries, the 2025 Le Pin exhibits aromas of sweet cherries and raspberries along with hints of espresso roast, incense and pencil lead. Medium- to full-bodied, rich and layered, it's velvety, fleshy and enveloping, retaining its flamboyant personality but also displaying the unusual concentration of the vintage.
About the producer
Owned by Jacques Thienpont, Le Pin is, without doubt, one of the most famous names in wine. One of the three great names of Pomerol, alongside Pétrus and Ch. Lafleur, it is one of the rarest, most expensive and finest wines in Bordeaux – if not the world.