critic reviews
The 2020 Le Pin has a more backward and primal bouquet than its peers. It opens with scents of black cherries, wild strawberry, violet and seamlessly integrated oak. The palate is medium-bodied, with fine tannins that frame the pure black fruit tinged with orange rind and minerals. Slightly confit-like fruit emerges toward the finish. This is a very serious 2022 Pomerol that may well merit a higher score in due course. Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting.
This estate occupies a well-draining, early-ripening site, and the 2020 Le Pin is certainly marked by the warmth and sunshine of the vintage, offering up a rich bouquet of jammy plums, kirsch, figs and licorice framed by a generous application of creamy new oak. Full-bodied, broad and expansive, it's rich and gourmand, with a layered mid-palate framed by plenty of powdery structuring tannin. While it can't match the purity and precision of the 2019, it's a strong effort.
Le Pin 2020 has a deep garnet-purple color. It starts off a little subdued before erupting from the glass with powerful notes of plum preserves, blackberry compote, dark chocolate, smoked meats, and Indian spices, leading to touches of crushed rocks, black truffles, and cast-iron pan. The medium to full-bodied palate is densely laden with taut, muscular fruits, framed by very firm, ripe, rounded tannins and wonderful tension, finishing very long with loads of mineral and savory layers. Epic!