This is like the amazing 1994 (a unicorn of the vintage) or the 1990, but more modern and precise. Medium-bodied with a fine, compacted texture, this shows green-olive tapenade and cedar. The tannins are so refined, running the length of the wine. In the 1980s, they used to say this was Burgundy- or pinot-like. It is, and in such a good way. Brings a nice smile to my face. Pure merlot. Only 13 barrels made.

The 2024 Le Pin is showing nicely, offering up aromas of sweet red berries, orange marmalade, cigar box and loamy soil, followed by a medium to full-bodied, sweet and fleshy palate that's layered and expressive, with a sweet core of fruit and an aromatic finish. This attained 13% alcohol without chaptalization and is being matured in 65% new oak.

Vivid ruby plum, and here the fragrance is centred around dark fruits, cassis, bilberry, rose petals. Love the density and the texture, and the slow slow build. A more serious Le Pin than some years, exceptional quality in the vintage, and will age with finesse. The retro olfaction comes curling in with gunsmoke and graphite. The deep gravels of Le Pin came into play for sure in this vintage, helping reach these ripeness levels, and this is a potential upscore in bottle. 65% new oak, harvest 20 to 29 September. 3.72pH, 29 hl/ha.

The 2024 Le Pin was picked in four stages between September 20 and 29 at 29 hl/ha, with 65% aged in new oak and the rest in one-year-old oak. All the sorting is done in the vineyard before harvest to eradicate unwanted bunches, then again at a sorting table at the winery reception. It has a relatively light, delineated bouquet of red berry fruit and touches of dark chocolate. The palate is medium-bodied with a fine lattice of tannins. Very elegant and harmonious with a deft touch of white pepper, this is a delightful, slightly ferrous Pomerol that will drink well for 15 to 20 years. It just sashays along without a care in the world. I tasted this on two separate visits. 13.05% abv.

Coming from an early-ripening, well-drained site planted entirely to Merlot, the 2024 Château Le Pin is still resting in two-thirds new oak, a percentage that has been gradually reduced since 2019. Ripe red and black berries, sappy spring flowers, tobacco, and exotic notes of gravelly earth and silex all emerge from the glass. This is a ripe, medium-bodied Le Pin with ultra-fine tannins, a soft, supple, layered mouthfeel, and outstanding length. It's going to offer plenty of upfront appeal yet has the balance and depth to evolve beautifully in bottle.

100% Merlot. 29 hl/ha. Cask sample. Clean and ripe with lovely texture, the tannins fine and long. Lacks a bit of intensity but fleshy and fresh all the same. Well judged in the context of the vintage. (JL)