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Tasting notes
Owned by Le Pin’s Jacques Thienpont, L’Hêtre is located on a clay-limestone plateau in Côtes de Castillon. This special vineyard is at the highest point in Bordeaux. Directly east of Saint-Emilion, it shares similar terroir at a higher altitude. The colour of the 2020 L’Hêtre is impressive – a deep, saturated, glass-staining purple. The nose has plenty going on with ripe, purple fruit tones of plum, prune and violet mingling with dark chocolate and black cherry jam notes. The palate is layered with plenty of strict tannins that still need a bit of time to settle. It is full-bodied without being heavy, with ripe black plum fruit. Give this a few years in bottle to settle and it should drink well for a decade.
Critic scores
Average Score
James Lawther MW, jancisrobinson.com
Julia Harding MW, jancisrobinson.com
More reviews and scores
Tasted blind. Black core, purple rim. Smoky, dark chocolate, very dark aroma with an attractive hint of stone dust. That same dusty quality on the palate, as if it had been aged in concrete. Tannins are fine and very dry. Distinctive style. On the sinewy side but quite elegant. Needs time. (JH)
The 2020 L'Hêtre has a more restrained and nuanced bouquet that unfolds in the glass, with more mineralité and terroir expression than the preceding d'Aiguilhe. The palate is medium-bodied with finely chiseled tannins and gentle grip. Tobacco and graphite-infused black fruit lead to a beautifully proportioned and sophisticated finish. Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting.
The 2020 L'Hêtre is the first vintage produced with Axel Marchal as consultant. Offering up aromas of dark berries, lilac, plums and a lavish application of creamy new oak, it's medium to full-bodied, rich and fleshy, with chalky tannins and a lively, vanillin-inflected finish.
About the producer
Jacques Thienpont – owner of one of Bordeaux’s most celebrated estates, Le Pin – fell in love with the view from L’Hêtre when he first visited the property. He purchased the Côtes de Castillon estate, which offers a brilliant introduction to the Thienpont stable at an affordable pricepoint.