| Region | |
|---|---|
| Subregion | |
| Colour | Red |
| Type | Still |
One of the great names of the Médoc and a true "super-second". The château is situated next to Château Latour and opposite Pichon Baron, with most of the vines a little further inland from the river. Pichon Lalande is one of the most demanded wines of Bordeaux. Characterised by a slightly exotic, spicy character, plump ripe fruit and a polished texture. The percentage of Merlot in the vineyard is high for Pauillac. The "Comtesse" is now owned by Champagne house Louis Roederer and managed by the brilliant wine-maker Nicolas Glumineau, the man who made the awesome Montrose 2009 and 2010 before coming here. A new winery has just been built and recent vintages have been amongst the best ever produced here. An absolute star wine with great pedigree and brilliant wine-making.
View all vintages of this wine | View all wines by Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande
This is extremely structured, but with a level of polish and refinement that highlights the excellence of the terroir. Very long and expansive on the palate, showing class and beauty. Powerful.
Deep purple-black in color, the 2020 Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande begins on a single, well-defined, wonderfully pure note of ripe blackcurrants, opening out to a melody of redcurrant jelly, kirsch, ripe blackberries and tar, with emerging suggestions of dark chocolate, cardamom, ground cloves and violets, with a waft of black truffles. Medium-bodied, tightly wound and with loads of fantastically nuanced black fruit layers, it has a rock-solid frame of finely grained tannins and bags of freshness, finishing long and mineral laced. The blend this year is 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot and 6% Cabernet Franc. 2026 - 2050
Softer and silkier than many Pauillacs in the vintage, this is a clear success. Hugely silky and seductive, with grip, power and finesse. One of the best of the appellation, with finessed tobacco, heather and plump blueberry and cassis fruit, expertly managing the low 30hl/ha yield. 60% new oak. Tasted twice.
Drinking Window 2030 - 2048
The 2020 is a blend of 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17 % Merlot and 6% Cabernet Franc, which will be matured for 18 months in 60% new French oak. The yield is 30hl/ha. Harvest started on 9th September, one of the earliest in the estate's history. Deep ruby-purple hue in the glass. The nose is intense and expansive, with pure cassis and oily black fruit layered with brighter floral tones. The oak is well measured, complementing the fruit with accents of cedar and vanilla. The palate has real drive and precision. Silky, ripe blackcurrant fruit and chalky, mouthcoating tannins offer real depth. This is a vertical wine for now, with superb intensity but finely etched structure. A wine of real finesse and length, this is another great success at Pichon Lalande and a stand-out wine of 2020.
77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc. Cask sample.
Bright crimson hue. Generous, vineyard-nuanced fruit on the nose with complex cassis and graphite notes. Fruit equally generous on the palate, backed by an abundance of fine tannin. Lots of drive and persistence. Punchier and more masculine in style than 2019. Definitely one for the cellar. (JL)
Drink 2028 – 2045
(77% CS, 17% M, 6% CF; 60% harvest; 13.6% ABV; 60% new)
Inky black-red; a dense, core of raw blackcurrant at the heart of the dense “gravelly” aromas; full of subtle, complex promise; immediately rich and generous and taut and contained, a concentrated, effortless blend of superfine dry tannins, close-knit flesh, and freshly carrying acidity; deep and very “Pauillac,” mouthcoating without any sense of excess, great tenacity and complexity of flavor and with splendid, aromatic, gravelly length. An imposing baritone performance (appropriately enough, as a baritone was Nicolas Glumineau’s initial career). Magnificent wine. First-growth quality. 2032–50+.
