Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande Pauillac 2018
#2 Wine Spectator Top 100 2021- ws98
- we98
- jd98+
- v97+
- wa97+
Category | Red Wine |
Varietals | |
Brand | Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande |
Origin | France, Bordeaux, Pauillac |
Alcohol/vol | 14% |
Other vintages
This majestic second growth estate in Pauillac is one of the most esteemed château in the entire Bordeaux region. The estate was originally created by Pierre de Mazur de Rauzan at the end of the XVIIth century. The 80-hectare land (which at the time also included the Château Pichon Longueville Baron) originally extended from Pauillac and Saint-Julien. In 1694, de Rauzan's daughter married the Bordeaux politician Jacques Pichon Longueville, and the estate took the name Pichon. One of Pichon's daughters, the Comtesse de Lalande, became the next-generation owner of the estate. In 1850, the estate was divided into the two current 'Pichon' estates: Pichon Comtesse de Lalande and Pichon Baron. This is the former.
A typical Pauillac wine on the nose, offering a complexity of cedar and tobacco, but also blackcurrant, raspberry and a hint of clove and violet. The same flavors in the mouth of raspberries, violet and peony but not overpowering. This fine wine, distinguishes itself between a balance of great flavor and density. The tannic structure is distinct, fine and firm, with a long, soft, savory finish.
Wine Spectator
- ws98
Offers a deep well of dark currant, blackberry paste and plum preserves fruit that needs time to unwind fully, as its shrouded in warm earth, tobacco, singed cedar, sweet bay leaf and savory notes. A ramrod of graphite adds to the strident, structured feel. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Best from 2030 through 2050.
Wine Enthusiast
- we98
This famous estate at the southern end of Pauillac has produced a powerful wine. Packed blackberry fruits, laced with acidity, are just starting out on a long journey along with the tannins. The wine's elegance is beautifully preserved within the structure. With considerable potential, the wine should not be drunk before 2027.
Jeb Dunnuck
- jd98+
The 2018 Château Pichon-Longueville Comtesse De Lalande is a monster of a wine with an almost Château Latour-like stature and structure, offering deep, backward, slightly reductive notes of blackcurrants, crushed stone, scorched earth, lead pencil shavings, and tobacco leaf. Based largely on Cabernet Sauvignon mixed with 23% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Petit Verdot, it's full-bodied, concentrated, and powerful on the palate, with masses of tannins, beautiful mid-palate density, and a great finish. As I've commented previously, the up-front, sexy style of the past (due to the larger Merlot content, I believe) has been replaced by a more regal, at times austere profile. Nevertheless, it's still its own wine and very Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande in style. This 2018 is going to need 5-7 years of bottle age and will evolve for 40+ years.
Vinous
- v97+
The 2018 Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande dazzles from the very first taste. A heady concoction of inky dark fruit, graphite, new leather, licorice, lavender, spice and grilled herbs soars out of the glass. The 2018 is rich and expansive yet retains a super-classic vertical feel. Plush, silky tannins add to its immeasurable pedigree. I would cellar the 2018 for a decade or so, if patience permits. It's a stellar wine in the making.
Wine Advocate
- wa97+
The 2018 Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande is a blend of 71% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot with a pH of 3.85, an IPT (total polyphenol index) of 87 and 14% alcohol. The grand vin represents 50% of the crop this year. Deep garnet-purple colored, it charges out of the gate with bold scents of baked plums, ripe blackcurrants and wild blueberries, followed by hints of cedar chest, pencil lead, bouquet garni and charcuterie, plus a waft of lilacs. The medium-bodied palate is beautifully crafted with its seamless freshness and firm, grainy tannins supporting the compelling, finely knit black fruits and savory nuances, finishing on a lingering fragrant-earth note. This will need a good 5 years to come around and should easily cellar for another 30 years or more.
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