No Petit Verdot in this vintage.- Jane Anson, Inside BordeauxĮxpressive and aromatic on the nose, this is giving such a lot of nuance. Good quality, one to cellar and look forward to opening in the future. Subdued power at the moment, with hints of butterscotch and black chocolate, bilberry fruits that are not overly sweet but have succulence and impact. A linen edge of the tannins, with grain and texture that holds things back through the mid palate. You feel the clever construction of this wine from the start, and the architecture shines through. Congratulations to Nicolas Glumineau and his team, who are ushering in a new golden age at an address where standards were always very high. Concluding with a long, expansive finish, it’s a remarkable young Pauillac that will offer many years of thrilling drinking. Full-bodied, deep and complete, it’s velvety and seamless, with a broad attack and a multidimensional core of lively, succulent fruit. One of the wines of the vintage, the 2019 Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande soars from the glass with complex aromas of wild berries, tobacco leaf, loamy soil, burning embers and hints of violets and rose petals. It has a seductive, seamless profile that offers pleasure even today (although it needs lots of air to show at its best) yet needs 7-8 years of bottle age to hit the early stages of its prime drink window and will evolve for another 40-50 years if stored properly. It builds slowly with time in the glass and has remarkable purity of fruit, ultra-fine tannins, perfect balance, and a finish that just begs you to pour another glass. Deep, full-bodied, and pure perfection on the palate, it has this incredible marriage of Latour-like stature and regalness buffered by wonderful, sexy, seamless fruit, which no doubt comes from the higher Merlot content and makes Comtesse de Lalande so singular and unique. More elegant and poised from bottle than barrel, it offers a brilliant perfume of crème de cassis, lead pencil shavings, tobacco leaf, damp earth, and graphite. Brought up in roughly 60% new French oak, it hit 14.1% natural alcohol with a pH of 3.7.

A blend of 71% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, and 6% Cabernet Franc that was harvested from mid-September through October 8th. Pure class, the 2019 Château Pichon-Longueville Comtesse De Lalande is another brilliant wine from director Nicolas Glumineau that checks in at the top of the vintage. 14.12% alcohol - Neal Martin, Vinous Media It reminds me of the 1996 in some ways, but with more finesse on the finish. The 60% new oak is seamlessly integrated and feels just right. This is a powerful, multi-dimensional Pichon-Lalande, extremely precise, very deep and long. Yes, the nose does remind me of Latour! The medium-bodied palate is endowed with unerring symmetry and poise. The bouquet needs a few minutes to open up, delivering intense black fruit, crushed stone and incense with time in the glass. The sample of 2019 Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande sent to me last year was an absolute show-stopper.

2019 pichon lalande