98-99
Suckling: "This has a firm, seamless and velvety tannin structure, accompanying a deep core of dark plum fruit, peach stones, chocolate and mahogany. Layered and caressing. Supple, yet full and powerful. Silky and smooth at the end. It shows real structure for the vintage and will age really well. 100% merlot."
94-96
Galloni: "The 2021 Le Pin is a delicate, refined wine that is still coming together in
barrel. Bright saline accents and vivid floral aromatics lend energy to a core of red-fleshed fruit. The 75% new oak is expertly judged. Production is down quite a bit, about 14 barrels instead of the more typical 20 or so. The 2021 is a somewhat unusual, lighter style of Le Pin. I can't wait to see how it ages."
94-96
Neal Martin: "The 2021 Le Pin was picked from 25 September to 4 October at a respectable 35hL/ha. Jacques Thienpont remarked how Alexandre and Guillaume Thienpont had tended the vineyard so well throughout the year and for the first time they oversaw the vinification and the current élevage. It has a beautifully-defined bouquet, less ostentatious than recent vintages, unfurling with quite mineral-rich red and black fruit. The palate follows in a similar vein, a Le Pin imbued with a sense of athleticism, no excess fat, framed by fine tannins and a laser-focused finish. The terroir really shines through in 2021 perhaps more than in other feted vintages. Wonderful. This has 13.4% alcohol."
92-94
Perroti-Brown: "The 2021 Le Pin is 100% Merlot, harvested from 25 September to 4 October with a yield of 35 hl/ha, and aging in 65% new oak. This finished blend was sampled straight from the barrel. Medium to deep garnet-purple in color, it needs a lot of swirling to unlock very pure notes of crushed black plums, fresh blackberries, and clove oil, followed by subtle hints of truffles, tobacco leaf, fertile loam, and Sichuan pepper. Medium-bodied, the palate delivers impactful energy with wonderful tension to the tightly knit black fruit layers and firm, ripe, rounded tannins, finishing long and minerally. pH 3.6."
