Le Pin: Vineyard, Best Wines, Prices (2024)
What makes Chateau Le Pin one of the most expensive wines in the world? Which of their bottles should you buy in 2024?
Surprisingly, the Le Pin wines are officially unclassified, but their rarity and winemaking excellence make them one of the most sought-after luxury wine collectibles.
What’s the secret behind the wines from this Bordeaux Chateau?
Let’s explore the Chateau’s history, winemaking, and The Best Le Pin Wines You Can Buy In 2024. We’ll also reveal How You Can Easily Invest in these extremely rare and highly-valued bottles.
Further reading
- Want to get ahead in the world of fine wine investment? Check out our Complete Guide on Investing in Wine.
- Also check out the Most Luxurious Champagnes to buy in 2024 and the perfect Champagne Glasses to serve them in!
A Quick Look at Chateau Le Pin
Chateau Le Pin is a small winery situated on France's Gironde estuary in the heart of the appellation Pomerol in Bordeaux. Le Pin is famous for its 100% Merlot wines.
The name of the wine estate Le Pin (meaning “pine tree” in French) is inspired by the solitary pine tree growing near the property.
Most of its vines are planted near the Catusseau village of France.
Even though the winery is young and tiny (2.7 hectares of vineyards), with a minuscule production relative to other Bordeaux estates, it has gained international recognition as one of the finest in Bordeaux.
Next, let’s find out how Le Pin achieved such tremendous success!
A Brief History of Le Pin
The Le Pin lands were a property of Madame Laubie from 1924 to 1978. During this time, the grapes grown on the estate’s territory were either sold to negociants or used to make blended wine.
In 1978, Domaine Le Pin was sold to the Belgian negociant Jacques Thienpont - of the Thienpont family that makes celebrated wines like Vieux Château Certan and Pavie Macquin.
When Thienpont acquired the property, he found it in poor condition. The estate’s cellar was small and underequipped, but it was enough to support the small wine production at Thienpont’s new winery.
The neighbouring Vieux Chateau Certan estate was also owned by the Thienpont family, who thought about merging the two properties. However, they decided to keep the Le Pin winery separate and released their first vintage in 1979.
The debut vintage of Le Pin was released in 1982. The famous wine critic Robert Parker fell in love with Le Pin. His perfect 100-point score catapulted the wine to fame and significantly increased prices.
Le Pin became the first unclassified Bordeaux wine to be sold at the same price as the more superior First Growth wines like the classic Chateau Petrus.
In the 1980s and the 2000s, the Thienpont family added more lands to the winery. Interestingly, there is no Chateau on the property, which is quite unusual for Bordeaux wine estates. In 2012, the humble Le Pin winery was renovated and modernized.
Currently, Alexandre Thienpont manages the estate while Jaques is in charge of the winemaking process.
Also read: Wondering what cocktails to mix up for your next big party? Check out These Delicious Sangria Recipes or find out How to Make the Perfect Mimosas.
But what is so special about the Le Pin vineyard holdings?
The Le Pin Vineyard and Terroir
The Le Pin estate is located in the central parts of the Pomerol plateau.
The vineyard has gravel topsoil with ancient pebbles (a rare composition not seen in many other Bordeaux appellation vineyards), clay and limestone deposits. The lands face south and get good sun exposure, resulting in the early ripening of the Merlot grapes.
All vineyard parcels are planted with the Merlot grape variety, and a few Cabernet Franc vines (which is not used in the Le Pin blend.) On average, the vines are around 38 years of age, but some older vines are over 70 years.
The vine density is 6,000 plantings per hectare, while the yields are comparatively low - around 30-35 hectoliters per hectare.
Further reading:
Are you a fan of red wine? Then check out our Top Malbec Picks, explore The Best Barbera Wines, or Try a Spicy Zinfandel.
Winemaking at Chateau Le Pin
Jacques Thienpont releases only the best wine blends under the iconic Le Pin label. Sometimes different lots or entire vintages are declassified if they’re of lower quality. This happened in 2003 when no Le Pin wines were produced.
In good vintages, the winemaking process is the following:
- Vinification: Le Pin was the first Bordeaux wine estate to conduct malolactic fermentation in barrels. Initially, they started this as an experiment because they didn’t have enough tanks for fermentation.
Today, this is a common practice for achieving unique softness and round character - a crucial factor for en primeur wine tastings.
- Aging: The wine ages for 14-18 months in a 100% new oak barrel. The wines from the barrels are blended right before bottling.
Le Pin produces a very small number of wine cases - only around 600-700 annually! This makes their wines very hard to find and drives up the prices for each vintage.
The winery does not have a second wine, but it produces a small amount of Trilogie (a multi-vintage wine made with declassified lots.)
Read more: Pair a classic French wine like Chateauneuf du Pape with your dinner.
Or pick from the best Italian reds from These Fascinating Chianti or Exceptional Barbera d’Asti Wines.
Next, let’s take a look at the best Le Pin bottles you can get your hands on in 2024.
10 Precious Le Pin Vintages to Buy in 2024
We’ve picked the most impressive Le Pin vintages ever released.
1. Le Pin 1982
This vintage put Le Pin on the French wine map, and is truly a remarkable one! On the palate, it has vivid plum and velvety black fruit flavors. The initial aromas of chocolate and oak transition into mild smokey notes and a long-lasting finish.
Price of Le Pin 1982: $12,549
2. Le Pin 1983
That’s another high-quality vintage of Le Pin that stands out with elegant truffle notes and comparatively low acidity. This wine charms with distinct red fruit and creme de cassis flavors accompanied by tobacco and leather hints.
Price of Le Pin 1983: $4,012
3. Le Pin 1990
The alluring nose of raspberry compote combines perfectly with the superb oak hints and silky texture. This Le Pin Merlot is an exquisite swirl of fruit, mocha, cherry liqueur, and tar flavors.
Price of Le Pin 1990: $4,899
4. Le Pin 1998
Here we have another full-bodied Le Pin with a decadent nose, supple tannins, and mild acidity. The wine impresses with a unique expression of the winery’s magical terroir and delightful black cherry tasting notes. On the palate, it has a slight oaky aftertaste.
Price of Le Pin 1998: $4,024
5. Le Pin 1979
Opulent fruit notes promise to take over your senses with each sip of this very first Le Pin vintage! This rare Pomerol wine has an elegantly perfumed nose and a seductive, silky texture with smoky aromas.
Price of Le Pin 1979: $4,319
6. Le Pin 2000
This beautiful vintage wine has finesse, ripe plum fruit flavors, and elegant blackcurrant notes. It has rounded tannins and delicate vanilla and chocolate scents.Price of Le Pin 2000: $5,416
7. Le Pin 2005
This wine has velvety tannins and an elegant freshness to it. The pure red fruit tasting notes are accompanied by a floral nose and a subtle leather finish. This wine can age for a few more years before reaching maturity.
Price of Le Pin 2005: $4,104
8. Le Pin 2009
This young vintage received a 100-point score from Robert Parker. It’s vibrant cherry fruit, chocolate, and coffee tasting notes are complemented by a delicate smoke and mushroom aroma. You can pair this Le Pin with a juicy beef steak, roasted lamb, or game meats.
Price of Le Pin 2009: $4,818
9. Le Pin 2015
Bold and dry, this Le Pin has extraordinary ripeness and chewy tannins. On the palate, it has balanced plum and black fruit flavors, followed by complex aromas of creme de cassis, rose petals, and stone.
Price of Le Pin 2015: $4,543
10. Le Pin 2018
This Le Pin has a seductive purple-black color and a bold character. It has a rich bouquet of aromas - truffle, wood, and herbs, accompanied by delicious black cherry fruit and chocolate tasting notes.
Price of Le Pin 2018: $4,387
Also read: Do you fancy a light blush wine? Choose from These Great Rose Wines we picked for you.
Investing in Le Pin Wines
Le Pin offers some of the best investment-grade wines you can add to your wine collection.
Besides its impeccable winemaking, the wine’s scarcity, increasing demand, and aging potential add to the allure of Le Pin! You can enjoy the newest vintages in 10-15 years, while some of the best ones can easily mature for up to 35 years in your cellar.
Le Pin also has seen some stellar price increases over the years.:
- The debut vintage of 1982 marked a 24% increase from $10,400+ in 2019 to $13,000+ in 2021. There was a huge spike from 2005 to 2010 as well, when it jumped by 400% in value.
- The 1983 Le Pin went up 25% (from $3,140+ to $3,950+) between 2019 and 2021.
- The younger 1995 vintage rose by 25% in the same time span from $2,640+ to $3,320+.
A case of the 1982 vintage (only 250 cases were made) set records in the wine auction market when it was sold for a whopping $106,269.
Now:
A bottle of this special Bordeaux wine would be a real gem in any wine portfolio. However, acquiring this scarce collectible is not easy!
Further reading:
Dive into the world of white wine and explore these Elegant Pinot Blancs, Exceptional Sauvignon Blancs, and Delightfully Sweet Rieslings.
So, how can you get a bottle of the rare Le Pin wine?
Here’s how:
Buy Le Pin and Other Fine Wines Through Vinovest
Vinovest is an expert wine investment company that lets you buy, store, and sell wines without you having to ship them physically!
How Does it Work?
To get started with Vinovest, just follow the steps:
- Sign up
- Fill out a quick questionnaire that will help Vinovest determine your investment style.
- Fund your account with a minimum of $1,000.
- Vinovest’s algorithm will choose the best investment wines for you based on your investment preferences.
- Sit back, relax with a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon, Kir Royal, or your favorite Champagne cocktail and watch your portfolio grow!
Benefits
With Vinovest, you get:
1. Best Prices
Vinovest sources its wines directly from wine merchants, global wine exchanges, and winemakers, so you get the best possible prices on high-profile wines like Chateau Lafite, Pouilly-Fuissé, and Pomerol wine.
2. Easy Buying and Selling
You can buy wines from all over the world with just a few clicks - it’s that easy! Vinovest will also match you with the highest-paying buyer if you decide to sell your wines.
3. Curated Portfolio
Vinovest’s team of Master Sommeliers does all the hard research and number crunching for you with the help of Artificial Intelligence-based algorithms. This way, you get a carefully curated wine portfolio of investment-grade wines.
4. Optimal Storage and Safety
Your wines are stored in bonded warehouses with the optimal temperature, light, humidity, vibration, and air control. Each facility is equipped with power backup generators and security cameras that ensure your wine cases’ safety at all times.
5. Authenticity and Provenance
Vinovest’s wine expert team checks each bottle’s authenticity and provenance before you make a purchase, so there’s no risk of getting a counterfeit bottle.
6. Low Costs
Vinovest charges less than most wine investment companies. The annual fee is 2.5% (or 1.9% for portfolios exceeding $50,000), and it covers the buying and selling of your bottles plus fraud detection, your portfolio management, and more.
7. Global Network
With Vinovest, you get access to limited wine releases, wine company sales, and upcoming vineyards. You can also join the wine tastings organized by the Master Sommeliers.
8. Easy Delivery
Do you want to gift a bottle of wine to a friend or simply enjoy the fine Burgundy wine you just bought with your dinner? Vinovest will safely deliver your wine anywhere in the world.
Add A Seductive Le Pin to Your Wine Collection
Le Pin wines are some of the finest and most expensive wines in the world - a definite favorite among wine critics and enthusiasts alike!
But, finding a bottle for yourself can be both challenging and quite costly.
Luckily, a platform like Vinovest can help you invest in the world’s best wines, hassle-free.
So, wait no more and sign up to own some of the most exceptional wines in the world!
