Wine Advisor
Le Pin 1998
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
The 1998 is one of the most impressive Le Pins I have ever tasted at this early stage of its development. This wine normally puts on weight and becomes more delineated and complex after several years, so this is a profound performance for such a young Le Pin. A great wine, the dark purple-colored 1998 offers wonderful sweet aromas of sur-maturite, blackberry and chocolate-infused cherry jam, phenomenal purity, and a sensationally, unctuous, layered palate without a hard edge to be found. There is tannin and structure, but it is silky and integrated. This full-bodied, impressive effort is the quintessential Le Pin - pure opulence and velvety sexiness. Anticipated maturity: 2002-2018.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
This dense ruby/purple-colored 1998 exhibits an exotic bouquet of coconut, jammy red and black fruits, cedar, spice box, and caramel. The wine's creamy texture and huge fruit are so thick and rich it is hard to find any acidity or tannin, yet they are present. Concentrated and hedonistic, it is destined to be drunk young, although it will last for 15-18 years.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted at Bipin Desai’s Le Pin vertical in Los Angeles. The Le Pin ’98 has a rich, decadent nose with macerated black cherries, cassis, dark chocolate, truffle and a touch of molasses. Napa comes to Pomerol indeed! The full-bodied palate is loaded with glycerine, smooth and voluptuous, leaving you instantly smitten by its ravishing personality. Notes of ripe black cherries, blueberry and cassis, very succulent and yet somehow missing the tension that would counterpoise all this hedonism. I can imagine being utterly entranced by this wine if I had it alone, yet juxtaposed against other vintages of Le Pin, I find myself erring towards others less lauded. Just 435 cases produced. Drink 2010-2020+ Tasted November 2008.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
A beautifully made, dark ruby/garnet/plum-colored wine, the 1998 Le Pin offers an exotic bouquet of coconut, kirsch liqueur, and jammy blackberries, all flamboyantly dosed with smoky new oak. It is dense, rich, and plush, with a good tannic framework. At one time, Le Pin was the most exotic wine from Bordeaux's right bank, but there is now considerable competition from all the new St.-Emilion upstarts. While this remains an outstanding, often compelling Pomerol, many far less expensive, equally prodigious alternatives have emerged. Anticipated maturity: 2003-2018.
About the Producer
Le Pin is the most expensive wine in the world. Jacques Thienpont purchased the meagre 1.6 hectares of land for one million francs in 1979. The Thienpoints named their wine Le Pin after a solitary pine tree that shaded the property. By acquiring tiny adjoining plots of land, Jacques has doubled the size of Le Pin to five acres. The south-facing vineyard on a well-drained slope of gravel and sand is planted with Merlot (about 92%), and a small amount of Cabernet Franc. Le Pin's soil is a mixture of gravel and clay with a little sand and is exceptionally low yielding (between 30 to 35 hl/hc). The grapes are hand-harvested and are fermented in stainless steel before being matured in`200%` new oak barriques for between 14 and 18 months. Dany Rolland, wife of cult-oenologist Michel Rolland, is a consultant here. Le Pin produces just 600 to 700 cases each year (Lafite Rothschild produces approximately 29,000 cases of wine a year and and Pétrus about 4,000) and its rarity is one of the driving forces behind its high prices. Le Pin produces super-concentrated, decadent, lush and lavishly oaked wines - they can be drunk young but are best with 7-10 years of bottle ageing.
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