Lot 398
CHÂTEAU PICHON LONGUEVILLE COMTESSE DE LALANDE 2005 (2)
CHÂTEAU PICHON LONGUEVILLE COMTESSE DE LALANDE 2009 (3) WA 95
CHÂTEAU PICHON LONGUEVILLE COMTESSE DE LALANDE 2010 (1) WA 95+
Lot 398 Details
CHÂTEAU PICHON LONGUEVILLE COMTESSE DE LALANDE 2005 (2)
Pauillac. 2ième Cru Classé
u. 2 x bn.
CHÂTEAU PICHON LONGUEVILLE COMTESSE DE LALANDE 2009 (3)
Pauillac. 2ième Cru Classé
u. 2 x bn. 2 x scuffed labels
A 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. December 2011 WA 95
CHÂTEAU PICHON LONGUEVILLE COMTESSE DE LALANDE 2010 (1)
Pauillac. 2ième Cru Classé
u. bn.
The 2010 Pichon Lalande is performing extremely well and at the top of the range I predicted several years ago. A final blend dominated much more by Cabernet Sauvignon than usual (66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc and the rest Petit Verdot), the wine is a tighter, more tannic and structured version of this famed Pauillac, which often tends to have more of a St-Julien-like personality than most Pauillacs. Structured, backward and tannic, yet showing a fat mid-palate that is more savory, broader and more expansive than I remember from barrel, this wine is somewhat reminiscent of the 1986, given the Cabernet Sauvignon domination of the blend. Full-bodied, impressively endowed, and less sexy and velvety than normal, this is a somewhat different style of Pichon Lalande than most readers have been used to. Whether you like it more or less will depend on your point of view, but this wine, unlike most Pichon Lalandes, needs a good 5-7 years of cellaring and should keep for 30+ years. February 2013 Drink: 2018-2048 WA 95+