Château Le Pin

The winemaker

The short history of Château Le Pin

In 1979, Léon Thienpont bought a hectare of vines from his neighbour for one million francs. A further hectare was added to the estate in 1984 to form, in the heart of the Pomerol appellation, just over two hectares of vines.

This is how Château Le Pin became a true wine legend with its small production in the mid-1980s. Château Le Pin now has a winery and buildings designed by Paul Robbrecht, worthy of the international reputation of this famous property.

The winemakers and their wine

Jacques Thienpont and his wife, Fiona Morrison, are one of the best known couples in the wine world. Since 1997, they have divided their time between the family trading business and their winery. As well as being innovative, Château Le Pin is one of the first Bordeaux wines to undergo malolactic fermentation in completely new oak barrels. It is also one of the first "garage wines".

This is what wines produced in small quantities but of very high quality and sold at very high prices are called. This allows it to be among the greatest of Pomerol. As far as grape varieties are concerned, 92% are Merlot Noir and 8% Cabernet Franc. The wine is vinified in stainless steel tanks and then aged for 18 to 24 months in wooden barrels.

Exceptional bottles

The wine of Château Le Pin is among the rarest wines in the world. Made in small quantities, it is highly concentrated and subject to speculation. It is the result of an "ambitious" vinification in small stainless steel vats. His cellar has seven vats ranging from 15 to 42 hl, which allows him to make a very strict selection of these parcels. All under the supervision of wine expert Fiona.

The majestic Pomerol

At Château Le Pin, there is a tradition of harvesting by hand. The wine is then fermented in stainless steel vats, which are located just outside the cellar. A little further on is a room containing around 70 barrels filled with two different vintages of Le Pin. The quantity produced is between 500 and 700 cases per year.

Jacques Thienpont recently expanded the estate to 2.7 hectares. It was at this time that he called on Paul Robbrecht for renovation. But also in order to continue to produce wines that are as majestic as ever.