Chateau Le Pin is a 5-acre estate in Pomerol. The wine produced here is considered a forerunner of the “garagiste” Bordeaux now produced in the region. Though Le Pin has existed for more than a century, the estate was purchased in 1979 by Jacques Thienpont, whose family also owns nearby Vieux Chateau Certan. The estate grows 92% Merlot and 8% Cabernet Franc and produces only about 7,000 bottles a year. Le Pin receives high ratings and that combined with its scarcity often makes it one of the world’s most expensive wines. Robert M. Parker Jr. has called Le Pin “the most exotic and flamboyant of Pomerols” and adds that “Le Pin remains unequaled in terms of seduction, charm, and the sheer pleasure of drinking.”