| Region | |
|---|---|
| Subregion | France > Bordeaux > Left Bank > Pauillac |
| Colour | Red |
| Type | Still |
Made from a blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Merlot and 4% Petit Verdot, this spectacular 2003 hits all the sweet spots on the palate. A glorious bouquet of cedarwood, jammy black currants, cherries, licorice and truffle is followed by a dense, opulently textured, full-bodied wine with terrific purity and freshness as well as deep, velvety textured tannins. Enjoy this beauty over the next 10-12 years. Drink 2014-2026
Very pretty aromas of plum, blackberry, chocolate, espresso and cherry follow through to a full-bodied palate, with ultrasilky tannins, refined fruit and a long, caressing finish. This is fine and refined with a wonderful texture. Not quite the 2000, but excellent. Best after 2011.
Ch Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande 2003 Pauillac 16.5 Drink 2009-2016
Rather subtle and delicate and with excellent bottom. Very racy. And sweet. Like a dry port. Rather still-insistent tannins on the end. Drying finish. Racier than Pichon Baron. (Average group score: 16.7)
The brilliant, opulent, fleshy 2003 Pichon Lalande (65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Merlot, and 4% Petit Verdot) possesses a high pH of 3.8 as well as 13% alcohol. Reminiscent of the 1982 Pichon Lalande (which never shut down and continues to go from strength to strength), the dense plum/purple-colored 2003 offers gorgeous aromas of blackberries, plum liqueur, sweet cherries, smoke, and melted licorice. Fleshy, full-bodied, and intense, displaying a seamless integration of wood, acidity, tannin, and alcohol, this beauty can be drunk now or cellared for 20 years or more.
A beautiful wine that is a blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Merlot, and 4% Petit Verdot, tipping the scales at 13% alcohol with a pH of 3.8, the wine has put on some weight since I tasted it last year and possesses broad, expressive notes of caramel, black currant liqueur, fig, and blackberries along with a hint of roasted coffee. Opulent, full-bodied, and concentrated with an exceptionally fleshy, expansive mid-palate, this wine has freshness, vigor, and delineation despite its rather plump, opulent, heady style. More and more this looks similar to the 1982 more than any other recent vintage. Anticipated maturity: 2008-2022.
Fashioned from low yields of 39 hectoliters per hectare, Pichon-Lalande’s harvest began on September 17, and lasted until the end of the month. A powerful effort for this estate (13% alcohol), with a pH of 3.8, and total acidity of 3.15, this blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Merlot, and 4% Petit Verdot possesses an opaque purple color to the rim as well as lovely aromas of spring flowers, creme de cassis, blackberries, and a hint of roasted espresso. Dense, opulent, and medium to full-bodied, with outstanding purity, and no trace of over-ripeness, it should drink well young, and last for 15-20 years. Although it reveals a more classic style than the 1982 did at a similar stage, its similarities with that vintage are unmistakable. Anticipated maturity: 2008-2020.
This tastes like crushed grapes and red fruits. It’s big and rich. Full-bodied, with velvety tannins and a long, long finish. Juicy wine. A cross between the 1995 and 1996. In fact, it could be better than 2000. Wonderful.
Really quite pale though still some blue in there. Indistinct nose – the lightest hint of lilies. Lively, delicate, some top quality oak in evidence in the lightest possible form. Quite racy with lots of energy. Pretty light tannins – I wonder if they deliberately fined some of these out? Quite a pretty drink but certainly not rich and not obviously the product of a hot vintage. A very particular style.
Very purple. Some extremely ripe fruit on the nose. Dense but with attractive, mineral notes. Quite open and lacy. Real substance on the palate. Remarkably gentle and delicate and only then do the tannins push in.
