Château LE PIN 2022

Description

Yves Beck 98-100 points www.yvesbeck.wine
D’entrée Le Pin 2022 annonce de la gourmandise… et de la fraîcheur. Il brille de sa définition, de sa précision et je pense que l’on a rarement atteint de tels niveaux de pertinence à Le Pin ! Le terroir graveleux profond y contribue évidemment, l’élevage très subtil également, car il est bien là mais s’efface face au fruit, tout en continuant d’agir en coulisses. Dès les premières secondes le vin souligne son qualificatif de bourguignon bordelais. Il révèle des nuances de cerises et de garrigues puis une touche florale. En bouche tout est axé sur la finesse… et la densité. Les tannins sont denses, racés et en phase avec la tension de la structure. Je pense qu’en 2022, Le Pin se démarque clairement de Pomerol. Il met en avance Le Pin avant l’appellation. Que de finesse, de précision. Le vin est cristallin, précis, subtil, puissant et imposant dans sa manière de mettre en avant son élégance. Une très grande réussite qui termine sur de la salinité, de la fraîcheur et de la persistance.  2027-2047

Jean-Marc Quarin 99 points www.quarin.com
Couleur presque noire. Nez très aromatique, fin, fruité, pur, noble. Minutieux en entrée de bouche, avec une pulpe superbe au milieu et un goût de fruits noirs, le vin nous offre sa légendaire suavité. Il fond au palais, sur une longue finale complexe, raffinée et mieux encore incrachable. Très grande longueur aromatique. 100 % merlot. Degré d’alcool : 14°4 – pH : 3,77. Rendement : 29 hl/ha. Vous remarquerez une fenêtre de consommation très large, tant ce cru est tout le temps délicieux.

William Kelley 96-99 points www.erobertparker.com
The 2023 Le Pin is another strong effort for this small Pomerol winery, wafting from the glass with aromas of wild berries, violets, exotic spices and creamy new oak. Medium to full-bodied, polished and suave, it’s velvety and refined, with attractive purity of fruit, lively acids and a long, gently vanillin-inflected finish. It’s the result of multiple harvests, starting with young vines, between September 11 and 23.The elegance and harmony of the 2022 Le Pin took me aback. Harvest began at this small estate on September 6th, proceeding bit by bit until all 10 blocks were picked, and the resulting wine is maturing in 65% new oak. Wafting from the glass with aromas of minty blackberries and cassis mingled with hints of licorice, spices and rose petals, it’s medium to full-bodied, bright and fleshy, with a sensual, seamless profile and terrific integration at such an early stage. It’s one of the finest vintages at this address in the last decade or more.

Antonio Galloni 94-97 www.vinous.com
The 2022 Le Pin is racy and nicely textured, but it also comes across as somewhat closed. I suspect a sulfur addition three weeks before tasting explains much of the wine’s reticence. There is almost certainly more to the 2022 than this tasting suggests. Needless to say, I am very curious to taste this again down the line.

Georgina Hindle 97 points  www.decanter.com
Concentrated fruit, ripe blackcurrants and soft bramble touches with delicate perfumed aromas on the nose. Smooth and supple, more straight and sleek than the nose suggests with an appealing hit of mouthwatering acidity on the mid palate giving life and energy balanced by an intense saline minerality that gives edges to the firm tannins. This opens after a few minutes, becoming more expressive and complex adding graphite, cocoa, liquorice, flint, floral touches and succulent red fruits to the mix. Poised, happy, joyful, captivating and lively. Very impressive. Doesn’t quite carry the weight of others but this is stunning with a lightness of touch and extreme polish. 3.77pH. 3.0g/L total acidity. Ageing in barrels, 65% new, 35% one wine. Harvest 6 – 17 September. A yield of 29hl/ha.

Neal Martin 96-98 www.vinous.com
The 2022 Le Pin was picked 6 to 17 September at 29hL/ha, pure Merlot as usual matured in 65% new oak. It has a quasi-Burgundian bouquet, extremely pure and floral, fleeting glimpses of blueberry and blackcurrant, very perfumed in style. The palate is medium-bodied with a concentrated, verging on viscous opening that delivers a payload of gorgeous, mineral-rich black fruit. Wonderful balance, velvety in texture, it leans toward a more opulent Le Pin. This disguises the backbone of this wine that should ensure it matures over many years. Seriously fine, though I would take Jacques Thienpont’s comparison to the 1945 or 1947 Le Pin with a big pinch of salt.

Jeb Dunnuck 95-97 points www.jebdunnuck.com
As always, the 2022 Château Le Pin is 100% Merlot, but the amount of new oak has been pulled back substantially in the past few vintages, and the 2022 is still resting in just 65% new oak. This Burgundian styled Merlot reveals a healthy ruby/purple hue as well as a beautiful bouquet of spiced red and black fruits, background oak, dried flowers, and loamy earth. Medium to full-bodied, restrained, incredibly elegant, and balanced, with fine tannins, it’s another remarkable, singular wine from this château.