Château Pichon-Longueville, Comtesse de Lalande

The Pichon Chateaux stand guard at the entrance to Pauillac from St Julien. These formidable structures on opposite sides of the D2 are two of the most iconic buildings in the Medoc and produce some of the most celebrated wines. Until the early 2000s, Madame de Lencquesaing along with her nephew, Gildas d’Ollone ran this estate with great success. The vineyards, bordering those of Chateau Latour at the south of the commune have produced many outstanding wines; this is classic Pauillac terroir ideally suited to producing great Cabernet Sauvignon. In 2007, Madame de Lencquesaing sold to Monsieur Rouzaud of the Champagne House, Louis Roederer. The appointment of Nicolas Glumineau, formally of another high flying second growth, Chateau Montrose has really transformed the fortunes of property. Nicolas’ Midas touch has resulted in a string of outstanding wines, which retain all the feminine charms of the Comtesse vineyard, whilst adding precision, power and a certain polish. Its presence amongst our favourite wines of the primeur tastings is a given. There are very few chateaux producing wines at this level and with such consistency.

There are currently 89 hectares under vine, 11 of which are actually in St Julien. The dominant varietal is unsurprisingly Cabernet Sauvignon (45%), but slightly unusually for this appellation where Cabernet is King, 35% of the vineyards are planted with Merlot. This is a legacy of the previous owners, the Miailhe brothers. Replanting programs are addressing this balance and over time we will see more Cabernet in both the grand vin and the Pichon Comtesse Reserve.