2014 Le Pin

98 POINTS

James Suckling

A ravishing red that pours out aromas of crushed raspberries, blueberries and dried flowers. Black truffle skins and undertones of violets. Full-bodied yet so tight and refined with incredible finesse and polish. The beauty and chic runs on for minutes on the finish. A truly endless and breathtakingly harmonious wine. It just rolls off the palate. Drink in 2022.

97 POINTS

James Molesworth - Wine Spectator

This features a remarkable display of fruit, both fresh and steeped—primarily raspberry, but with notes of blackberry and boysenberry as well—all gliding through seamlessly, while light anise, Lapsang souchong tea and roasted mesquite details underscore the finish. The texture is equally sublime. Best from 2020 through 2040. 348 cases made.—J.M.

95 POINTS

Jeff Leve - The Wine Cellar Insider

This wine opens with citrus, floral, dark chocolate, plum and dark cherry notes in the nose, creating a complex set of aromatics. Plush, rich, clean and pure, what the wine lacks in opulence, it makes up for with its concentrated, fresh, long, pure, sweet, velvet-driven character. 94-96 Pts

95 POINTS

Antonio Galloni MW - Vinous

The 2014 Le Pin is a stratospheric, deeply moving wine. Here, the gravelly soils allowed for excellent drainage and gave the Thienpont family all the conditions needed for a late harvest. Rich, powerful and voluptuous in the glass, the 2014 boasts superb depth and concentration to match its exuberant personality. A deep, sensual wine, in 2014 Le Pin has it all. Hints of lavender, violets, plums and cassis are layered into the spellbinding finish. In 2014, this is just about as good as it gets.

94 POINTS

Jeannie Cho Lee MW - Asian Palate

Lively ripe plum and dark cherry with hint of cocoa in the finish. The tannins here are cashmere-like in texture with deep, dark earthy flavors on the palate. Luscious and generous with lifted spices in the long finish. An excellent Le Pin made from 100% Merlot.

93 POINTS

Neal Martin - Wine Advocate

Jacques Thienpont told me that the Le Pin 2014 was picked between 23 and 30 September at a yield of 24 hectoliter per hectare. The wine has 13% alcohol and a pH of 3.5. Of course, its gravelly soils would have been beneficial in coping with the rain compared to those on less well-drained clay soils. It has a well-defined, focused bouquet that is not as complex as a top vintage Le Pin but there is a pleasant underlying mineralité that I believe will be expressed in bottle. The palate is medium-bodied with edgy tannin, a little pinched on the mid-palate with a very linear finish with a saline, citrus fresh finish. This is one of the most tensile vintages that I have tasted in recent years: not as complex as others (and I've tasted them all except the four barrels of 2013), but it is full of nascent energy. Rather than thinking of this as Le Pin, it’s just a supremely well-crafted Pomerol.

92 POINTS

Neal Martin - Vinous

The 2014 Le Pin has a powerful and quite showy bouquet with ample red berry fruit, black truffle, singed leather and a light marine influence that comes through with time in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin, a fine bead of acidity, fresh and lively with fleshy red cherry, crushed strawberry and white pepper notes on the satisfying finish. It is a fine Pomerol even if it does not quite match up to recent vintages from Jacques Thienpont. Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting.