Chateau Le Pin - Le Pin - Ex Chateau 2020

James Suckling: "The complexity of the wine shows incredible aromas of perfectly ripe tannins and fresh flowers such as lavender and rose stem. Mineral. Stone. Hints of wet earth and fresh bark. Subtle and complete. So much incredible character. Concentrated center palate. Weightless at the end. Perfect wine. You want to drink the bottle but it will age for decades."

Weinwisser: "Sehr tiefgründig komplexes Bouquet, frische Küchenkräuter, Lavendel, getrocknete Rosenblätter, balsamisch-herbale Note gepaart mit schwarzbeerigen Konturen. Am dicht verwobenen Gaumen mit seidiger Textur, engmaschigem kakaoartigem Tanningerüst, gut stützender Rasse und muskulösem Körper. Im konzentrierten langanhaltenden Finale Wildkirsche, Brasiltabak und dunkle Schokolade – ein Pomerol zum Träumen!"

Lisa Perrotti-Brown: "Le Pin 2020 has a deep garnet-purple color. It starts off a little subdued before erupting from the glass with powerful notes of plum preserves, blackberry compote, dark chocolate, smoked meats, and Indian spices, leading to touches of crushed rocks, black truffles, and cast-iron pan. The medium to full-bodied palate is densely laden with taut, muscular fruits, framed by very firm, ripe, rounded tannins and wonderful tension, finishing very long with loads of mineral and savory layers. Epic!"

Jeb Dunnuck: "Coming from yields of 24 hectoliters per hectare, the 2020 Château Le Pin is all Merlot brought up in 75% new French oak, and it's the first vintage where the wine wasn't aged in all new barrels. An incredible wine, I think it surpasses the 2019, offering a classy bouquet of ripe black cherries, currants, tobacco, damp earth, and truffle, with perfectly integrated background oak that is certainly less noticeable than in previous vintages. Pure class on the palate, it’s full-bodied, deep, and concentrated, with perfect tannins, a layered, seamless mouthfeel, and a great finish. Still tight and reserved, it needs a solid decade of bottle age but is going to evolve for 30 years or more. It's a brilliant bottle of wine."

Decanter: "Ripe, dark chocolate, floral scents, rich blackcurrants - heady but refined. Supple and racy on the palate, thrilling even, a livewire of a wine. A combination of bitter and sour, savouriness and acidity. Much more freshness than I was expecting with clarity and precision. Lean and sinewy but with a wide finish. Less sexy more suave and it knows it! Quality of the tannins is excellent and this caresses the palate comfortably. A seamless and glowing Le Pin."

The Wine Advocate: "This estate occupies a well-draining, early-ripening site, and the 2020 Le Pin is certainly marked by the warmth and sunshine of the vintage, offering up a rich bouquet of jammy plums, kirsch, figs and licorice framed by a generous application of creamy new oak. Full-bodied, broad and expansive, it's rich and gourmand, with a layered mid-palate framed by plenty of powdery structuring tannin. While it can't match the purity and precision of the 2019, it's a strong effort."

Jancis Robinson: "Typically seductive with a density of fruit and opulent form and texture. Aromatically alluring with zesty red fruit and floral notes and a hint of chocolate from the oak. Tannins very suave and dense. Point of salinity to give balance but the alcohol does show."