I have only had Le Pin a few times and bought this bottle to try over a couple days. What a treat. Obviously very young, but lovely dark fruit, notes of violet, licorice and wet stone on the nose and palate. What struck me most was the super silky texture and perfect harmony even at a young age. A good wine tastes good, a great wine feels good. Wonderfully long and balanced on the finish and this was even better on day 2.
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A few days ago I participated in a once in a lifetime tasting organized by Armin Diel. We tasted 12 vintages of wine icon Château Le Pin from Pomerol, all out of magnum bottles from Armin’s private cellar. All were in fantastic shape - even Monsieur Alexandre Thienpont took part in this tasting. What an extraordinary experience. Today’s market prices for magnums are between 7,000-18,000 bucks per bottle. Production figures are at the end of each vintage.
2000 Most elegant and complex one, perfect balance, felt very classic. 97/100 5,678 std / 274 mg
2004 Beautiful nose, nice grip on the palate, great ripe fruit. 95/100 8,800 std / 300 mg
2005 Showed some soft tertiary notes, fantastic depth and structure. Incredible balance. 97/100 5,900 std / 350 mg
2006 Elegant nose with soft aging notes. Beautiful balance and depth. 95/100 5,420 std / 340 mg
2007 Good structure and balance. Some green tannins. 93/100 7,200 std / 360 mg
2009 Super complexity, lots of fruits, but not overdone. Incredible depth. 96/100 5,882 std / 310 mg
2010 Fantastic complexity. Some beautiful mineral notes and an endless finish. 97/100 5,035 std / 234 mg
2011 Great depth and fine fruit structure. Alcohol felt a little too dominant. 93/100 5,450 std / 287 mg
2015 Extraordinary vintage. Power, fruit, depth and elegance, it had everything! Endless finish. 98/100 5,508 std / 280 mg
2016 Great fruit structure, tannins not integrated yet. Very long finish. 95/100 5,676 std / 298 mg
2017 Elegant vintage, very precise structure. Tannins are still grippy, not integrated yet. Will be fantastic in the future. 95/100 4,339 std / 441 mg
2018 Great fruit notes, some vanilla too. Beautiful complexity. Alcohol is a little hot. Too young, needs more time. 94/100 4,505 std / 372 mg
I won’t call a winner this time, drinking these icons side by side was a fantastic experience and although some vintages were showing not as good as others, all were absolutely enjoyable. Thank you Armin for the beautiful evening. Cheers 🍷
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Produced from 100% Merlot, the wine offers citrus, roses, plum, cocoa and wild cherries as soon as your nose draws close to the glass. Silky, sweet, polished, this is not a wine of density. It is a wine of purity, refinement, complexity, elegance, opulence and with time, it may border on decadence. The harvest took place from October 4 to October 8. The wine reached 14.5% alcohol with a pH of 3.72.
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11/6/2023 - johnh1001 wrote: 97 Points
I have only had Le Pin a few times and bought this bottle to try over a couple days. What a treat. Obviously very young, but lovely dark fruit, notes of violet, licorice and wet stone on the nose and palate. What struck me most was the super silky texture and perfect harmony even at a young age. A good wine tastes good, a great wine feels good. Wonderfully long and balanced on the finish and this was even better on day 2.
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4/16/2022 - DrZett wrote: 95 Points
A few days ago I participated in a once in a lifetime tasting organized by Armin Diel. We tasted 12 vintages of wine icon Château Le Pin from Pomerol, all out of magnum bottles from Armin’s private cellar. All were in fantastic shape - even Monsieur Alexandre Thienpont took part in this tasting. What an extraordinary experience. Today’s market prices for magnums are between 7,000-18,000 bucks per bottle. Production figures are at the end of each vintage.
2000 Most elegant and complex one, perfect balance, felt very classic. 97/100 5,678 std / 274 mg
2004 Beautiful nose, nice grip on the palate, great ripe fruit. 95/100 8,800 std / 300 mg
2005 Showed some soft tertiary notes, fantastic depth and structure. Incredible balance. 97/100 5,900 std / 350 mg
2006 Elegant nose with soft aging notes. Beautiful balance and depth. 95/100 5,420 std / 340 mg
2007 Good structure and balance. Some green tannins. 93/100 7,200 std / 360 mg
2009 Super complexity, lots of fruits, but not overdone. Incredible depth. 96/100 5,882 std / 310 mg
2010 Fantastic complexity. Some beautiful mineral notes and an endless finish. 97/100 5,035 std / 234 mg
2011 Great depth and fine fruit structure. Alcohol felt a little too dominant. 93/100 5,450 std / 287 mg
2015 Extraordinary vintage. Power, fruit, depth and elegance, it had everything! Endless finish. 98/100 5,508 std / 280 mg
2016 Great fruit structure, tannins not integrated yet. Very long finish. 95/100 5,676 std / 298 mg
2017 Elegant vintage, very precise structure. Tannins are still grippy, not integrated yet. Will be fantastic in the future. 95/100 4,339 std / 441 mg
2018 Great fruit notes, some vanilla too. Beautiful complexity. Alcohol is a little hot. Too young, needs more time. 94/100 4,505 std / 372 mg
I won’t call a winner this time, drinking these icons side by side was a fantastic experience and although some vintages were showing not as good as others, all were absolutely enjoyable.
Thank you Armin for the beautiful evening.
Cheers 🍷
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2/7/2019 - watcheslover wrote: 97 Points
Excellent vin mais largement dépassé par Petrus et Lafleur, voire Vieux Certan.
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4/29/2017 - Jeff Leve wrote: 99 Points
Produced from 100% Merlot, the wine offers citrus, roses, plum, cocoa and wild cherries as soon as your nose draws close to the glass. Silky, sweet, polished, this is not a wine of density. It is a wine of purity, refinement, complexity, elegance, opulence and with time, it may border on decadence. The harvest took place from October 4 to October 8. The wine reached 14.5% alcohol with a pH of 3.72.
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