One of the most expensive wines of the world, Chateau Le Pin traces back to 1924 as the estate was previously owned by the Laubie family. In 1979 Madame Laubie sold this one hectare vineyard to the Belgian Jacques Thienpont for one million francs. At time the this was quite an expensive acquisition in the area. The vineyards were developed by Jacques Thienpont whose family own the neighbouring Vieux Château Certan and the wine was produced in tiny quantities from a farmhouse basement. The winery had already been named 'Le Pin’ based on a solitary pine tree that grows near the winery. 2011 marked some major changes at Le Pin with the creation of a new winery which was designed by the Belgian architectural practice Robbrecht en Daem architecten. The structure inaugurated using tiny microcurves and gravity to move the wine. Currently, Le Pin are one of the most popular wines in the world wine auction market.
Management of the winery is handled by Jacques Thienpont, and since the initial acquisition of the winery, small parcels of land have been acquired so the estate now encompasses 5 acres of vineyards which are set on sandy gravel topsoil on a bedrock of limestone. Only Merlot is planted at this very special site as the vines average 38 years of age. In most vintages 600 to 700 cases are produced although Le Pin made no wine in 2003 due to excessive heat that vintage. Here is my review of the 2011 Chateau Le Pin.
2011 Chateau Le Pin- Ethereal, silky and marvelously poised, the 2011 Le Pin is sourced from an extremely small estate is located in the commune of Pomerol. It is amongst the world's most expensive red wines, as this was very graciously shared by my friend and colleague, Dr. Jae Hong. I was most impressed by the opulent, pillowy texture of the wine, which is still quite primary now at the eight year mark. Elegant tannins line the massive core of dark fruits, all leading the breathtaking, near minute-long finish. The earthy terroir is absolutely immense and spellbinding, as this is truly Pomerol at its best. This true heavyhitter really needs another ten years of bottle age to hit its stride and will provide drinking enjoyment past my lifetime. Drink 2025-2055- 97