Chateau Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande Pauillac 2019 750ml
The Wine Advocate | RP 98
Published: Apr 7, 2022
One of the wines of the vintage, the 2019 Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande soars from the glass with complex aromas of wild berries, tobacco leaf, loamy soil, burning embers and hints of violets and rose petals. Full-bodied, deep and complete, it'svelvety and seamless, with a broad attack and a multidimensional core of lively, succulent fruit. Concluding with a long, expansive finish, it'sa remarkable young Pauillac that will offer many years of thrilling drinking. Congratulations to Nicolas Glumineau and his team, who are ushering in a new golden age at an address where standards were always very high.
Drink Date: 2027 - 2065
Since joining Pichon Lalande just after the 2012 harvest, Nicolas Glumineau has made a number of changes. In the vineyards, Cabernet Sauvignon is increasingly displacing Merlot; the soils are worked less frequently and cover crops are employed; canopy management has evolved, with both fruiting canes now trained in the same direction—Glumineau would like to trail pruning "Guyot simple" if Pauillac's cahier de charges (appellation rules) permitted it; and 27 hectares of the estate's 102 are being farmed organically. A new, highly functional winery and cellar equips him with stainless steel tronconic tanks adapted to parcel-by-parcel vinification. Cooperage choices, too, have been refined (some 65% new oak is the order of the day), and the duration of élevage has been extended to 18-19 months in barrel before racking to tank before bottling. The result? Even as Cabernet Sauvignon occupies a more and more important place in the blend, Pichon Lalande has never been more seamless and sensual, exhibiting a degree of structural refinement combined with remarkable complexity and depth of flavor. The 2019 has turned out brilliantly, and readers will have a hard time choosing whether 2019 or 2016 is the greatest vintage of the decade at this address: I've hedged my bets and bought both.
Jamessuckling.com | JS 97
Published: Feb 20, 2022
Classic aromas of lead-pencil shavings, blackcurrants and blueberries, as well as some as, following through to a full body with polished tannins and a fresh, delicious finish. Wonderful crafted. Try after 2025.
Decanter | D 97
Published: Oct 31, 2023
Inky in hue, concentrated and designed for the long-haul, Pichon Comtesse is very backwards in the glass on initial tasting. After five minutes in the glass the wine's characters start to emerge – dark berry fruit, exotic spices, hints of chocolate and some floral notes of violet/rose. The wine is elegant and precise, with all the components in place for two to three decades of ageing. The Baron has the edge at the moment but I suspect Comtesse will win through at the end.