Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande Pauillac 2009

• wa95

Wine AdvocateA beautiful effort, the 2009 Pichon Lalande, a blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot, possesses copious mocha, lead pencil, unsmoked, high class tobacco, black currant, forest floor and herbaceous characteristics. It is a deep purple-hued, charming, surprisingly open-knit Pauillac with wonderful freshness, a plump, fleshy mouthfeel, opulence and unctuosity, medium to full body and a well-delineated, luscious style. More elegant than its nearby neighbor, Pichon Longueville Baron, and not as massive in concentration and extract, it is one of the great Pichon Lalandes of the last twenty years.

• we95

Wine EnthusiastA seductive wine, deliciously ripe with the softest, juiciest fruit over smoky new wood. The wine shows intense fruit as well as a soft Merlot core. The tannins are beautifully integrated in this ripely sweet wine.

• ws94

Wine SpectatorOffers a dark roasted core of plum sauce, warm fig paste, melted licorice and singed cedar, while a mouthwatering iron edge and a lovely smoldering tobacco note add lift and length through the finish. A touch restrained now, but should blossom with cellaring. Best from 2017 through 2033. 15,000 cases made.