I tasted the 2021 Le Pin several times this spring, and on every occasion the wine showed brilliantly. Wafting from the glass with aromas of dark berries, plums, exotic spices, vine smoke and carnal nuances, it`s medium to full-bodied, sumptuous and enveloping, with a velvety attack, supple tannins and a long, penetrating finish. Seamless and impressively concentrated, it demonstrates how precocious, well-drained sites such as Le Pin came into their own in the 2021 growing season. As usual, it`s 100% Merlot, and this year it checks in at 13.4% alcohol. 94-97 points

The 2021 Le Pin was picked from 25 September to 4 October at a respectable 35hL/ha. Jacques Thienpont remarked how Alexandre and Guillaume Thienpont had tended the vineyard so well throughout the year and for the first time they oversaw the vinification and the current élevage. It has a beautifully-defined bouquet, less ostentatious than recent vintages, unfurling with quite mineral-rich red and black fruit. The palate follows in a similar vein, a Le Pin imbued with a sense of athleticism, no excess fat, framed by fine tannins and a laser-focused finish. The terroir really shines through in 2021 perhaps more than in other feted vintages. Wonderful. This has 13.4% alcohol. 94-96 points

The 2021 Le Pin is a delicate, refined wine that is still coming together in barrel. Bright saline accents and vivid floral aromatics lend energy to a core of red-fleshed fruit. The 75% new oak is expertly judged. Production is down quite a bit, about 14 barrels instead of the more typical 20 or so. The 2021 is a somewhat unusual, lighter style of Le Pin. I can`t wait to see how it ages. 94-96 points