Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande 2019

Pichon Comtesse completely embraces its master grape variety: Cabernet Sauvignon. It reminds us, with imposing style, that so-called “vegetable” notes can clearly be positive! What freshness and authenticity. Intense fruity notes with scents of blackcurrant, blueberries and refreshing notes of eucalyptus. On the palate the wine confirms the abilities of the nose; it is ample, delicious, powerful, attractive and compact. Juicy and smooth thanks to the delicious tannins and racy structure. In this logical succession, the finish can only be intensely fruity and persistent. A Pichon Comtesse with many facets which embodies several character traits since it is powerful, subtle, elegant and racy! A disciplined dunce of sorts. 2025-2054.

Crazy aromas of sweet tobacco and black fruit. Tar and lead pencil, too. Blackcurrants and blackberries. Solid core of fruit and ripe tannins here. It's full-bodied and chewy. Extremely long. Fascinating wine. Structure with elegance. Extremely creamy and very, very melted together. A classically proportioned wine. 71% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, and 6% Cabernet Franc.

A blend of 71% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot and 6% Cabernet Franc (with no Petit Verdot this year), the 2019 Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande came in at an alcohol of 14.15% and a pH of 3.7. Medium to deep garnet-purple in color, it sails out of the glass with a stunning array of Black Forest cake, warm cassis and wild blueberries scents with underlying hints of Morello cherries, redcurrant jelly, pencil shavings, menthol and aniseed with a touch of charcoal. The medium-bodied palate packs a lot of fruit into an elegant package, featuring very finely grained, silt-like tannins and seamless freshness, finishing long with loads of lingering mineral and exotic spice accents.

A serious, muscular Pichon Comtesse that grabs you from the first nose. The width and texture is evident, feeling both more plush and supple in its fruit character. It's elegant and balanced but packed full of textured raspberries, blueberries and blackcurrants, juicy, with a rise on the finish and clear tannic grip. Very Pauillac in style, more so than the 2018 with great length. Not as structured as the 2016 or the 2010 but not far off and this is easily one of the wines of the vintage. Its heft shares some similarities to its neighbor Latour, which is not always the case in this most feminine of Pauillac wines. Closes down pretty quickly on the finish, suggesting the initial rich fruit is a hint of what is to come but that it will take its time to show itself in bottle. Tasted twice, four weeks apart and it delivered both times. No Petit Verdot in this vintage. Drinking Window 2027 - 2040.