From the man who makes Le Pin
Le Pin is the ultimate small estate with a big reputation; recent vintages have seen this Pomerol released north of £2000/bottle (ex taxes). It always sells out. Le Pin was owner Jacques Thienpont's original project, but it's not the only ace up his sleeve. He built his St-Émilion property L'If from a standing start; it quickly made one of the region's most desirable wines. Jacques is clearly a man who knows what he's doing. In 2015 a new estate caught his eye, this time in the Côtes de Castillon. He named it L'Hêtre, continuing his 'family tree' motif: Le Pin, 'the pine', L'If, 'the yew', L'Hêtre, 'the beech'. It feels natural for a region ringed by forests.
The Côtes de Castillon lies on the eastward extension of the plateau underpinning St-Émilion. The soils in the area are mixed, but it was the high concentration of clay and limestone around L'Hêtre which attracted Jacques: 'the soil keeps the roots of the vines cool, so the wines are fresh'. At 100 metres of altitude, L'Hêtre is at one of Bordeaux's highest spots, and Jacques is quick to stress the constant attention that working organically in Bordeaux's damp climate requires here. On a day-to-day basis, L'Hêtre is managed by Jacques' nephew Maxime. When Maxime balked at the price of some top-end farm equipment, Jacques counselled him: 'spare no expense in the vineyard and the wine will pay you back, many times'. Maxime listened.
As well as L'Hêtre, there is a punningly named second wine: Raison d`Hêtre. Both are largely made from Merlot, with a freshening streak of Cabernet Franc. They come from a clear plot selection, with the vines for L'Hêtre up on the plateau, and the vines for Raison d`Hêtre on the slopes leading off. We tasted the 2020 vintage of each with Jacques when he visited us at our new shop last month. They are rich, intense, silky wines, full of fruit; the Castillon terroir suits hotter years such as 2020. Raison d`Hêtre is sappy and mouth-filling; L'Hêtre has more depth and structure. Both have a surprisingly minerality buried at the end of the palate, under the fruit. /NT
