Le Pin, Pomerol, 2025
Jacques explained that the deep gravel soil at Le Pin resulted in very low yields of 20hl/ha. The old vines that could reach down for water fared better than the younger vines. Extractions were very gentle and fermentations occurred at lower temperatures than normal (26°). Perfumed, glossy fruit, griotte cherry, crème de mûre, flowers and truffles; less demonstrative than old Le Pins, this is refined and controlled with a stunning purity of fruit, so textural and silky, effortless waves of pure raspberry, loganberry and saline, wild hedgerow fruit, fine silky length, notes of cherry, dark chocolate and salt float across the palate. So composed and silky, there's no dryness to the juicy, saline tannins - you could almost enjoy this now. Length but completely weightlessly delivered - an iron fist in velvet! Superb.
critic reviews
The 2025 Le Pin was picked in two passes through the vines on September 5 and 10 at just 20 hl/ha due to the small berry size, matured in two-thirds new oak and one-third one-year-old (Seguin Moreau and Taransaud). The younger vines that were stressed were not used in the blend. It takes time to unfold on the nose, with red berry fruit, black truffle and veins of graphite. The oak is very discretely used here. The palate is medium-bodied with velvety tannins, fine depth, though this is more a linear, vertical Le Pin rather than the more flamboyant 2022. A tingle of white and black pepper, a dab of licorice towards the finish that lingers temptingly. I suspect this will demand three to five years to really show its mettle.
Luscious, plush fruits, layered and textured, olive pit, bilberry, blackberry, concentrated yet bright and vivid, a more sculpted Le Pin compared to its normal lush curves, concentrated and powerful, with a huge future ahead of it. 65% new oak. 3.79 pH. Harvest September 5 to 10,
Picked in just two days, with hand sorting to eliminate any raisined berries, the 2025 Le Pin exhibits aromas of sweet cherries and raspberries along with hints of espresso roast, incense and pencil lead. Medium- to full-bodied, rich and layered, it's velvety, fleshy and enveloping, retaining its flamboyant personality but also displaying the unusual concentration of the vintage.