A sleeping giant, with an immense core of pure raspberry and kirsch fruit surrounded by a gorgeous graphite frame. As large-scaled as it is, this remains remarkably lithe, with a black tea and allspice perfume gilding the finish. Caressing and almost approachable now, but there's so much density and definition here that it will be fun to watch this age over the next generation. Basically the '90, just dialed up to 11.--Non-blind Le Pin vertical (December 2015). JM

Laden with pleasure, this showcases an exuberant side of 2010, where the seductive, languorous beauty of Le Pin fully proves its worth. The emphasis is on powerful spices, chocolate pod and coffee bean, zaatar and anis. Powerfully concentrated and still fairly closed, you can approach now but it will need longer to fully open up, and as is so often the case with Le Pin, there are various things happening at once, with the silky exuberance a pleasurable misdirection away from the serious levels of tannin and power. Drinking Window 2025 - 2050
Tasted by Jane Anson (at BI London, 30 Jan 2020)
Part of Bordeaux 2010: The top rated wines tasted 10 years on

Jacques Thienpont has crafted an impeccable 2010 Le Pin. Cropped at 34hl/ha and offering 14.2% alcohol, it has a sumptuous bouquet of luscious blackberries and bilberries, crushed stone elements and a touch of cassis. It has certainly comes out of its shell since its showing in barrel. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, a sweet core of boysenberry and dark plum fruit, fresh acidity and a silky smooth, quite precocious cassis-driven finish that is long and sensual in the mouth. This is a beautiful ’10 Pomerol that deserves a decade in bottle. Tasted November 2012.

(93-95 pts)
The sample taken from a blend of young vines and old vines in Taransaud and Seguin Moreau barrels, the Le Pin was picked from 24th September until 25th September, cropped at 34hl/ha. It delivers 14.2% alcohol with a total acidity of 3.20 and pH of 3.75. There was no saignée like in 2009. Tasted with the pneumatic drills in the background, it has a very pure bouquet with blackberry, crushed strawberry, limestone and a touch of rose petals, quite understated compared to recent vintages. The palate is medium-bodied with tensile tannins, good mineralité and tension here with vibrant, pure dark plum, boysenberry and cassis. Superb precision towards the finish, much tauter than the 2009, the Le Pin 2010 is a great Pomerol from the Pomerol undergoing a complete renovation (due to be completed in June 2011.) Tasted April 2011.

(100% merlot; 3.75 pH; 14.2% alcohol) Good, full ruby. Intense, h ighly perfumed aromas of blackcurrant, red cherry and violet. Juicy, tight and energetic, with very good cut and clarity to its black fruit and sweet spice flavors. Offers superb palate coverage and finishes with smooth, silky tannins. This should age splendidly: drink from 2020 through 2040. Readers should note that the last two vintages of Le Pin have shown less of the opulent, exotic perfume and mouthfeel for which this wine has become famous. Whether this is a stylistic change that is intentional, only time will tell. Ian D'Agata

It's not often I am able to taste Le Pin from bottle. I know, not many others are able to taste it at all. My point is, I know it's a special treat. Le Pin is not the most consistent Pomerol producer. But when it's on, it produces an expression of Merlot that is without equal. Sporting a deep color, the wine popped from the bottle with fresh plum liqueur, chocolate, citrus, coconut, smoke, truffle and boysenberry aromatics. As good as that sounded, the experience was even better on the palate! Thick, rich, intense, pure, fresh, opulent and silky, this was pure decadence with every sniff, swallow and sip. I hope I get to see this beauty again. What a treat!

The 2010 Le Pin is made from 100% Merlot. Deep garnet in color, it bursts from the glass with unbridled, hedonic notions of baked plums, Black Forest cake, Chinese five spice and blueberry pie plus wafts of smoked meats, candied violets, dark chocolate and cigar box. Medium-bodied, the palate exudes slow maturing black and blue berry layers, framed by firm, oh-so-plush tannins and oodles of freshness, finishing with incredible length and depth. Already drop dead gorgeous, this beautiful baby has a very long life ahead! 100 points LPB
Made from 100% Merlot (one percent for each rating point I’ve assigned), this wine is explosively rich and compelling. Dense plum/purple, it boasts the remarkable delineation and freshness that are hallmarks of this vintage. From a much smaller production than normal because of Merlot’s poor flowering, the very hot, dry growing and harvest conditions, this is a super-endowed, very rich Le Pin with its exotic new oak largely buried behind its extravagant concentration, power and richness. I don’t know what its natural alcohol level is, but I suspect it is pushing 15% in 2010. Rich, tannic, but exceptionally well-endowed, this is a sublime example of Merlot at its very finest. Forget it for 5-7 years (which is somewhat unusual for Le Pin) and drink it over the following three decades.
-100 points Robert Parker, Wine Advocate #205 Feb 2013

(96-98 pts)
2010: The 2010 Le Pin is 100% Merlot, aged in 100% new oak, but the Thienponts never want to hear that this is one of those "cult wines." It has been widely imitated by others thanks to its enormous success, and as I have written many times, it is a relatively exotic take on Bordeaux. The 2010 is the darkest colored Le Pin I have ever seen - black purple, no doubt due to tiny yields and the very small berries that were the result of the drought of 2010. Uber-concentrated, with fabulous cassis and black cherry fruit, licorice, and notes of subtle smoke and toast, the wine is full-bodied, with sweet tannin and remarkable thickness/unctuosity. It should prove to be one of the longest-lived Le Pins made in its first 30+ years of existence. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2030+.

Dreamlike deep nose with blackberries, graphite and some smoky notes. Opens with licorice, vanilla and red fruit. Full and intensely fruity on the palate with lots of dark berries. Complex, dense and deeply structured with polished tannins and a great finish that just goes on and on. The balance is amazing. Even better than 2009. Drink from 2018.

(95-96 pts)
This has muscles, with milk chocolate, plums and hints of wood. Very powerful, with lots of structure. It reminds me of the 1986 which is underrated and fabulous. A wine for aging. Super structured.

-www.jamessuckling.com, 'Tasting Report: 2010 Bordeaux "More Great Vintage"', 3 Feb 2012