Importer’s tale of two tipples
CHATEAU Le Pin Pomerol is one of ‘the most sought-after’ Bordeaux, according to the man who brought it to the international market.
Wine importer Mark Walford started marketing it ‘after bumping into the owner in a hotel on the Loire’ in 1982.
He said: ‘The difference between the two wines at Hawksmoor is that the Pichon the diners ordered is a blend of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes, which would be spicy and structured. ‘The Le Pin is pure Merlot and would be meaty and voluptuous.’ Mr Walford, who owns his own vineyard, Le Soula, in the French Pyrenees, said the Le Pin producer’s small vineyard of five acres meant ‘all the talent and expertise goes into just that small area of vines’.