CHATEAU LE PIN POMEROL BORDEAUX
Le Pin is a tiny 2.7-hectare (6-acre) property in the Pomerol district of Bordeaux. It was created in 1979 by the Thienpont family (owners of nearby Vieux Château Certan), and quickly rose to prominence to vie for the title of most expensive wine in the world. The Merlot-predominant wine is extremely concentrated and lush; it can often be drunk young but is best with a decade of aging.
The Le Pin vineyard is south-facing and sits on well-drained gravel and sand soils which give extremely low yields. It is planted 92 percent to Merlot with the remainder to Cabernet Franc. Grapes are harvested by hand and fermented in stainless steel before 14 to 18 months' aging in first one new oak barrel, and then a second. Production is obviously tiny, totaling just 600 to 700 cases per year – compared with 4000 for Petrus and 20,000 and more for the Médoc First Growths.
Le Pin is named after two pine trees at the vineyard. There is no true château on the property, though a new winery was opened in 2011, replacing an old farmhouse basement.
