Until the 1980s, the flag of the small region of Pomerol was held high by only a few châteaux, first and foremost Château Pétrus, but in the following years, several châteaux have aspired to challenge the uncrowned king of the Pétrus region. One of these crown princes is without question Château Le Pin.
The story of Le Pin begins with a small vineyard in 1924, but the starting signal for its rapid rise to the top of Pomerol is linked to the name of the Thienpont family, which also owns the neighbouring and now hardly less famous Vieux Château Certan. With a small acquisition of just under another hectare of vineyards, Château Le Pin, with its total of two hectares of vines, may be considered the first "garage winery" or "boutique winery" in the region. These vines, however, stand on a gifted terroir, that legendary gravelly clay soil of Pomerol, which rests on a limestone base.
The focus here is, of course, on Merlot, which usually makes up about 92 percent of the cuvée. At 30 hectoliters per hectare, yields are in the lowest range even for top wines. Malolactic fermentation takes place in the barriques. Alexandre Thienpont, cousin of the proud owner Jacques Thienpont, watches over the entire process from the grape to the precious bottle.
Just 8,000 bottles are produced per vintage, which makes it, together with Château Pétrus, the most expensive Merlot in the world, but at the same time one of the most sought-after Bordeaux, for which lovers pay just about any price.
