Le Pin 2017

robert_parker97

Reviewed by: Lisa Perrotti-Brown

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!

robert_parker96

Reviewed by: Lisa Perrotti-Brown

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.

vinous95

Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni

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.

vinous96

Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni

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.

vinous93

Reviewed by: Neal Martin

The 2017 Le Pin was bottled in March 2019 according to Fiona Morrison MW and co-proprietor. It has a clean and precise bouquet with perfumed black cherry and bilberry fruit, crushed iris petals and light iodine aromas. This feels very elegant and focused. The palate is medium-bodied with fine grain tannins. It has a gentle texture with a fine bead of acidity that keeps this Pomerol balanced on tiptoes. Fresh and energetic with judicious touches of cedar and cracked black pepper towards the finish. Excellent.

vinous95

Reviewed by: Neal Martin

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.