98

Antonio Galloni

Vinous

The 2022 Le Pin is a very pretty, sexy wine. The richness of the year is evident in the wine's super-ripe profile and textural feel. Blackberry jam, spice, apricot, black tea, new leather, chocolate and a kiss of French oak build in a sumptuous, potent Pomerol. The 2022 will need time to be at its best. To be sure, extreme heat and drought do not present the most optimal conditions for an early-ripening variety such as Merlot, especially on gravel. The 2022 is a decidedly exotic Le Pin and a wine that will thrill hedonists. 01/2025

98

Neal Martin

Vinous

The 2022 Le Pin was certainly more closed than the L'Hêtre or L'If upon initial taste, so I gave my decanted glass another decant, pouring from one glass to another several times. That helped to reveal a very perfumed bouquet with black cherries, raspberry, hints of cigar humidor and a light anise scent in the background. This has razor-sharp delineation. The palate boasts a silky texture on the entry that immediately caresses the mouth. There is very fine depth here, displaying a mixture of red and black fruit mixed with marmalade and allspice as it fans out wonderfully toward the finish. If you intend to drink this, a) decant it, and b) invite me. Otherwise, cellar this for several years before broaching. 01/2025

95

William Kelley

Robert Parker/Wine Advocate

The 2022 Le Pin has turned out very well, retaining impressive energy for such an early-ripening, well-draining site in so warm a year. Offering up aromas of sweet cherries, berries, licorice and violets, framed by a creamy patina of new oak, it's full-bodied, layered and exotic, with a sweet core of ripe fruit, polished tannins and a layered, seamless profile. 03/2025

99

Jeb Dunnuck

Jeb Dunnuck

Wow, the 2022 Château Le Pin is absolutely stunning and has a heavenly perfume of black raspberries, spicy wood, flowers, incense, and camphor that develops beautifully with time in the glass. With sensational elegance, full-bodied richness, ultra-fine tannins, and flawlessly integrated oak, it's one of the 2022s that's just about impossible to resist. As always, this cuvée is 100% Merlot from a tiny parcel not far from Vieux Chateau Certan, and the 2022 was raised in 65% new French oak. While this wine is frightfully expensive and hard to find, it certainly brings the goods in 2022! 02/2025

99

Jean-Marc Quarin

Jean-Marc Quarin

Couleur sombre, intense et belle. Nez très aromatique, pur, fin, fruité, sentant bon la framboise. Moelleux en entrée de bouche, extrêmement aromatique au milieu, le vin glisse, caresse, fond, avant d'évoluer juteux, profond et magnifique dans la persistance. C'est incrachable ! 02/2025

99

James Suckling

James Suckling

This shows purity of fruit with energy and focus. Medium-bodied, it has a precise and micro-polished palate giving refined, seamless tannins that are very silky and tensioned. Wow. Touches of iron, black pepper, hazelnuts and some finely etched wood spices and cream that will take a few years to digest. Hints of dark earth/mushrooms, citrus and black sesame as well. Long, vibrating and beautiful, with focus at the end. A more approachable young Pomerol, but it will hold beautifully for the next 20 years. Drink from 2028. 01/2025