Chateau Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande Reserve de la Comtesse 2018
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Dunnuck
Jeb -
Suckling
James -
Spectator
Wine - Decanter
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Parker
Robert
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
A complex nose with lots of present aromas. Intense oral notes of rose and violet as well as wild basil and rosemary. A lovely complex, savory, rounded palate. Flavors of strawberry, morello cherry and white tobacco. Fine and well-tuned, long and unctuous; well-structured, well-balanced and intense. Blend: 54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot. 4% Cabernet Franc.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
The second wine of the Château, the 2018 Reserve De Comtesse De Lalande checks in as 53% Cabernet Sauvignon and 42% Merlot, with the balance Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. Terrific classic Pauillac notes of blackcurrants, lead pencil shavings, leafy tobacco, and chocolate define this beauty, and it's medium to full-bodied, with a layered, balanced, pure character, present yet ripe tannins, and a great finish. As I wrote last year, it tastes more like a Grand Vin than a second wine. The larger Merlot component shows here compared to its more Cabernet Sauvignon-dominated big brother, and it's a much more plush, silky, sexy wine that already offers loads of pleasure. It's going to evolve for two decades and is well worth seeking out.
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James Suckling
Aromas of dried violets, blackcurrants, oyster shells, ink and bitter chocolate. It’s medium-to full-bodied with firm, tight-grained tannins. Concentrated and tight with an nicely austere finish. Needs a few years to soften. Second wine of Pichon Lalande. Try from 2025.
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Wine Spectator
Cassis, blackberry, pepper and tobacco notes are in the mix, with good energy on the graphite-edged finish. Shows textbook typicity, and should be ready in the near term after bottling.
Barrel Sample:90-93 -
Decanter
I like the Pauillac character, safe and eucalyptus-lined with a ton of black chocolate, cassis, and a brush of slate. Really a wine that you feel stands on its own. Drinking Window 2023 - 2038
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
This second wine represents 41% of the crop. Composed of 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 42% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot and 1% Cabernet Franc, the deep garnet-purple colored 2018 Reserve de la Comtesse springs from the glass with vibrant scents of ripe blackcurrants, black raspberries and baked plums, plus suggestions of pencil lead, cedar chest, ground cloves and lilacs. Medium-bodied, the palate is elegantly crafted with fine-grained tannin's and lovely freshness nicely framing the delicate fruit, finishing earthy.
Other Vintages
2022-
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Wine
Just two families have been responsible for maintaining this wine's superb reputation for three centuries. Bordering on Chateau Latour, Second Growth Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande is located in the southern part of Pauillac, near Saint-Julien. The unusual choice of grape varieties (there is a much higher percentage of Merlot than average) is a partial explanation for this wine's outstanding personality, marked by elegance, balance and finesse. Traditional methods and modern technology combine to make the most of the estate's prestigious soil. The international reputation of this "Super Second" Growth can be attributed to unfailing quality and dynamic owners.
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
The leader on the Left Bank in number of first growth classified producers within its boundaries, Pauillac has more than any of the other appellations, at three of the five. Chateau Lafite Rothschild and Mouton Rothschild border St. Estephe on its northern end and Chateau Latour is at Pauillac’s southern end, bordering St. Julien.
While the first growths are certainly some of the better producers of the Left Bank, today they often compete with some of the “lower ranked” producers (second, third, fourth, fifth growth) in quality and value. The Left Bank of Bordeaux subscribes to an arguably outdated method of classification that goes back to 1855. The finest chateaux in that year were judged on the basis of reputation and trading price; changes in rank since then have been miniscule at best. Today producers such as Chateau Pontet-Canet, Chateau Grand Puy-Lacoste, Chateau Lynch-Bages, among others (all fifth growth) offer some of the most outstanding wines in all of Bordeaux.
Defining characteristics of fine wines from Pauillac (i.e. Cabernet-based Bordeaux Blends) include inky and juicy blackcurrant, cedar or cigar box and plush or chalky tannins.
Layers of gravel in the Pauillac region are key to its wines’ character and quality. The layers offer excellent drainage in the relatively flat topography of the region allowing water to run off into “jalles” or streams, which subsequently flow off into the Gironde.