Wine Advisor
Le Pin 2012
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted blind at the Southwold 2012 tasting, 2012 Le Pin put in a very strong performance. It has a strict, graphite-infused bouquet that is strangely Pauillac-like (not a trait I have noticed on other vintages; I wonder whether it is just a passing phase?). This is earthier than its peers, with hints of leather in the background and sous-bois aromas becoming more and more accentuated by time. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, elegant and understated in style with a fine line of acidity, harmonious and thankfully not screaming and shouting towards the stylish finish. This is an outstanding wine from Jacques Thienpont that might well be unfairly over-shadowed by the 2009 and 2010. Tasted January 2016.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
The 2012 Le Pin exhibits a surprisingly opaque purple color, moderately high tannin, deep mocha and jammy berry characteristics, unexpected headiness, an alcoholic blast and lots of glycerin and fruit. This beauty should come into its own in 4-5 years, and last for 15 or more. This 100% Merlot cuvee is a fresher, lighter-styled effort than this estate’s blockbuster 2009 and 2010, but it is surprisingly intense with plenty of weight, clout and class. Yields were a tiny 30 hectoliters per hectare (due to poor flowering and excessive drought), and the wine was produced from fruit harvested between October 2 and 5.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The Le Pin was cropped between 1st and 3rd October at 32hl/ha and achieved a relatively high IPT of 77. After fifteen day fermentation and a short maceration it was run off into new barrels (Seguin Moreau and Taransaud) on 22nd October. It offers plenty of pure dark cherry, blackcurrant and cassis fruit on the nose with superb delineation and freshness. It opens wonderfully over five or ten minutes offering a subtle brine/black olive note, the oak deftly integrated into the fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with a hint of dark chocolate on the entry. There is good weight and tension although towards the finish there is a patina of wood that should be subsumed throughout its maturation. This strict, correct and upstanding Le Pin would benefit from a touch of flesh, but it is a stylish Pomerol for sure. Tasted April 2013.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
A compelling, totally arresting wine, the 2012 Le Pin boasts superb texture, unctuousness and pure voluptuous beauty. The 2012 is effortless in the way it opens up in the glass, with generous sweet red cherry, plum, iron, smoke and licorice. Perhaps not as rich as some previous vintages, the 2012 is nevertheless racy and quite expressive, even at this early stage.
Reviewed by: Ian d'Agata
(100% merlot; 32 h/H; IPT 77; g/l total acidity; ph 3.8;13.5% alcohol): Bright ruby-red. Perfumed aromas of blackberry, flowers and chocolatey torrefaction. Bright and fresh in the mouth, with sweet black cherry and violet flavors that carry through nicely on the persistent back end. Finishes with slightly tight tannins that will need time to resolve. Although I love this wine's purity, I found this version of Le Pin to be noticeably less intense than the best recent vintages. Perhaps the elevage will help flesh it out a bit.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2012 Le Pin was tasted from magnum at the château. Showing a little bricking on the rim, it has a gorgeous bouquet with red fruit, rusty piping, black truffle and sandalwood, beautifully defined and quite ravishing. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins. This is a very mellow Le Pin, lithe and beautifully focused with a fine bead of acidity. The finish has just a little warmth, but it caresses the mouth with a beguiling finish. Evolving beautifully.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2012 Le Pin is more animally on the nose compared to its peers with blackberry and briary, hints of cough candy, Seville orange marmalade and liquorice developing with time. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins and acidity, quite elegant and velvety in texture, everything well proportioned with a tertiary, slightly Asian flavor on the finish and dark chocolate hints on the aftertaste. This is a fine, charming Le Pin drinking perfectly now. Tasted twice at Bordeaux Index's Ten Year-On tasting and blind at the Southwold Ten-Year On tasting.
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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