Le Pin (Pomerol) 2005

Pomerol, First Growth

Units	Size	Case size	GBP Price:	Quantities	Buy
18	75cl Bottle	Case 6	£15,400 per Case	Cases	[Add to shopping basket]

Tasting Notes
The 2005 Le Pin is a very pretty wine, perhaps a bit more floral and savory and less opulent than it often is. Crushed raspberry, wild flowers, mint and dried herbs all lift from the glass effortlessly. Like most of its peers, the 2005 needs several hours of aeration to be at its best. It is an especially gracious, translucent wine that stands apart stylistically from the typically richer wines that have been made here. Score: 94 Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com Maturity: 2021-2035 01 April 2021
Tasted at the Pomerol Comparative Exploration tasting in London, the 2005 Le Pin has never quite lived up to the billing when compared to other vintages from Jacques Thienpont's iconic Pomerol estate, yet that is begrudging what is still a gorgeous wine. It remains very youthful and limpid in colour. The bouquet is much more Burgundian than I anticipated with raspberry coulis and wild strawberry scents, fine mineralité and poise. With time there is more blue fruit emerging. The palate is sweet and candied on the entry, plush and sensual; saturated tannin with impressive depth. You feel that perhaps it just egged on a little too much in the winery at the expense of some sophistication and delineation. However, in terms of pure pleasure it is a delicious wine, albeit one with a hefty price tag. Score: 94 Neal Martin, Vinous.com Maturity: 2020-2045 01 February 2018
The Le Pin 2005 has a very sweet, candied bouquet that actually reminds me slightly of a Super-Tuscan, not in a bad way either. It is a complex set of aromas that bring to mind a burlesque: red cherries, soy, undergrowth, a sprig of heather and lavender. As usual it is one of the most opulent, lascivious Pomerols on the nose and returning to my glass over ten minutes it unfurls with careless abandon. The palate is medium-bodied with fine silky tannins. But it does not quite deliver the same sophistication on the second half that is quite linear, touches of coffee and marmalade with a hint of aniseed on the finish. This is a delicious, quite mercurial Le Pin that you could broach now, though I would prefer to leave it another three or four years. Score: 95 Neal Martin, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Maturity: 2018-2037 01 February 2015
While I would not rank the 2005 Le Pin as highly as the 2001, 2000, 1998, 1989, 1983, or 1982, it is still a beautiful wine offering a deep ruby/purple color along with an open-knit nose of caramel, coconut, coffee, melted chocolate, and sweet, jammy black cherry and currant fruit. The alluring fragrance is followed by an opulent, luscious Pomerol with flamboyant flavors of ripe black fruits intermixed with hints of roasted herbs, meat juices, plums, and Asian spices. Unfortunately, the world’s billionaires quickly gobble up Le Pin’s 500 cases, even at preposterously high prices. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2025. Score: 93 Robert Parker, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Maturity: 2012-2025 30 April 2008
This exotic effort tends to perform incredibly well when young, middle aged, and old, and all the complaints heard when it is first released that it won’t age well have been proven absurd. The 2005's incredibly fragrant perfume of espresso roast, melted chocolate, cedar, plums, and kirsch soars from the glass of this dense ruby/purple-colored Pomerol. Opulent, even voluptuous, and loaded, it boasts an expansive, full-bodied palate yet good underlying acidity provides definition as well as precision to this blockbuster. Sadly, only 500 cases are produced each year, and those are gobbled up by the world’s billionaires. Anticipated maturity: 2011-2025. Score: 94 - 96 Robert Parker, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Maturity: 2011-2025 30 April 2007
As usual, the 2005 Le Pin (500 cases produced) is an exotic, aromatic effort offering gorgeous aromas of cedar, plums, black cherry liqueur, espresso roast, and chocolate. This full-bodied, rich, fragrant (the Thienponts call it the "Richebourg" of Bordeaux) effort possesses supple, velvety tannin and attractive sweetness and expansiveness, as well as good freshness and definition. It should continue to put on weight and evolve into another blockbuster from this tiny vineyard. Anticipated maturity: 2009-2025. Score: 94 - 96 Robert Parker, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Maturity: 2009-2025 30 April 2006
Good deep ruby-red. Knockout nose combines black raspberry, licorice, tobacco, iron, minerals and flowers. Densely packed, juicy and floral if a bit youthfully musclebound; lovely minerality here. Finishes tight and long, with some oak yet to be absorbed. Today I don't find this wine's normal exuberance but then it's in cuve today and in a rather compressed state. By the way, Thienpont lists 2001, 1998, 1994 and 1990 as his favorite vintages for Le Pin. Score: 91 - 93 Stephen Tanzer, Vinous.com 01 May 2007
Full medium ruby. Cassis, blackberry, violet, bitter chocolate and spices on the nose; smells like a grand cru from Vosne-Romanee. Wonderfully sweet and stylish; dense but with superb energy. Today the finish shows strong torrefaction notes of chocolate, coffee and black licorice, but my experience is that Le Pin takes a while to absorb its oak. The IPT here is a rather full 75 but the wine impresses more for its sweetness than its structure. Score: 92 - 95 Stephen Tanzer, Vinous.com 01 May 2006

Tasting Notes

The 2005 Le Pin is a very pretty wine, perhaps a bit more floral and savory and less opulent than it often is. Crushed raspberry, wild flowers, mint and dried herbs all lift from the glass effortlessly. Like most of its peers, the 2005 needs several hours of aeration to be at its best. It is an especially gracious, translucent wine that stands apart stylistically from the typically richer wines that have been made here.

Score: 94

Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com Maturity: 2021-2035 01 April 2021

Tasted at the Pomerol Comparative Exploration tasting in London, the 2005 Le Pin has never quite lived up to the billing when compared to other vintages from Jacques Thienpont's iconic Pomerol estate, yet that is begrudging what is still a gorgeous wine. It remains very youthful and limpid in colour. The bouquet is much more Burgundian than I anticipated with raspberry coulis and wild strawberry scents, fine mineralité and poise. With time there is more blue fruit emerging. The palate is sweet and candied on the entry, plush and sensual; saturated tannin with impressive depth. You feel that perhaps it just egged on a little too much in the winery at the expense of some sophistication and delineation. However, in terms of pure pleasure it is a delicious wine, albeit one with a hefty price tag.

Score: 94

Neal Martin, Vinous.com Maturity: 2020-2045 01 February 2018

The Le Pin 2005 has a very sweet, candied bouquet that actually reminds me slightly of a Super-Tuscan, not in a bad way either. It is a complex set of aromas that bring to mind a burlesque: red cherries, soy, undergrowth, a sprig of heather and lavender. As usual it is one of the most opulent, lascivious Pomerols on the nose and returning to my glass over ten minutes it unfurls with careless abandon. The palate is medium-bodied with fine silky tannins. But it does not quite deliver the same sophistication on the second half that is quite linear, touches of coffee and marmalade with a hint of aniseed on the finish. This is a delicious, quite mercurial Le Pin that you could broach now, though I would prefer to leave it another three or four years.

Score: 95

Neal Martin, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Maturity: 2018-2037 01 February 2015

While I would not rank the 2005 Le Pin as highly as the 2001, 2000, 1998, 1989, 1983, or 1982, it is still a beautiful wine offering a deep ruby/purple color along with an open-knit nose of caramel, coconut, coffee, melted chocolate, and sweet, jammy black cherry and currant fruit. The alluring fragrance is followed by an opulent, luscious Pomerol with flamboyant flavors of ripe black fruits intermixed with hints of roasted herbs, meat juices, plums, and Asian spices. Unfortunately, the world’s billionaires quickly gobble up Le Pin’s 500 cases, even at preposterously high prices. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2025.

Score: 93

Robert Parker, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Maturity: 2012-2025 30 April 2008

This exotic effort tends to perform incredibly well when young, middle aged, and old, and all the complaints heard when it is first released that it won’t age well have been proven absurd. The 2005's incredibly fragrant perfume of espresso roast, melted chocolate, cedar, plums, and kirsch soars from the glass of this dense ruby/purple-colored Pomerol. Opulent, even voluptuous, and loaded, it boasts an expansive, full-bodied palate yet good underlying acidity provides definition as well as precision to this blockbuster. Sadly, only 500 cases are produced each year, and those are gobbled up by the world’s billionaires. Anticipated maturity: 2011-2025.

Score: 94 - 96

Robert Parker, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Maturity: 2011-2025 30 April 2007

As usual, the 2005 Le Pin (500 cases produced) is an exotic, aromatic effort offering gorgeous aromas of cedar, plums, black cherry liqueur, espresso roast, and chocolate. This full-bodied, rich, fragrant (the Thienponts call it the "Richebourg" of Bordeaux) effort possesses supple, velvety tannin and attractive sweetness and expansiveness, as well as good freshness and definition. It should continue to put on weight and evolve into another blockbuster from this tiny vineyard. Anticipated maturity: 2009-2025.

Score: 94 - 96

Robert Parker, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Maturity: 2009-2025 30 April 2006

Good deep ruby-red. Knockout nose combines black raspberry, licorice, tobacco, iron, minerals and flowers. Densely packed, juicy and floral if a bit youthfully musclebound; lovely minerality here. Finishes tight and long, with some oak yet to be absorbed. Today I don't find this wine's normal exuberance but then it's in cuve today and in a rather compressed state. By the way, Thienpont lists 2001, 1998, 1994 and 1990 as his favorite vintages for Le Pin.

Score: 91 - 93

Stephen Tanzer, Vinous.com 01 May 2007

Full medium ruby. Cassis, blackberry, violet, bitter chocolate and spices on the nose; smells like a grand cru from Vosne-Romanee. Wonderfully sweet and stylish; dense but with superb energy. Today the finish shows strong torrefaction notes of chocolate, coffee and black licorice, but my experience is that Le Pin takes a while to absorb its oak. The IPT here is a rather full 75 but the wine impresses more for its sweetness than its structure.

Score: 92 - 95

Stephen Tanzer, Vinous.com 01 May 2006

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