Château Pichon-Longueville, Comtesse de Lalande

Château Pichon Comtesse de Lalande, 2ème Cru Classé, Pauillac, 2020

Name: Château Pichon Comtesse de Lalande, 2ème Cru Classé, Pauillac
Brand: Château Pichon-Longueville, Comtesse de Lalande
Price: 171.72 GBP

Available Vintages

all 2001 2003 2005 2007 2009 2012 2014 2015 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024

justerini & brooks tasting note

We have tasted some wonderful wines since Nicolas Glumineau took the reins at Pichon Comtesse, however, the 2020 may well be the finest expression we’ve witnessed to date. Topping 2019 was going to be a challenge, however, if anything, this possesses even more refinement and style. Initially this is all brooding and introverted, one senses potential, but it is stubbornly mute. The palate is anything but shy, it is so seductive and seamless, the quality of fruit is just exceptional: deep, dark, complex, mineral infused, spectacularly graceful yet powerful, there’s no sense of heat or weight, one’s palate is treated to an explosion of cashmere textured floral fruit. It is such a joy to taste, but extremely difficult to do justice to with a tasting note… After further aeration, some florality comes through, violets and roses mixing with pure cherry and cassis, one feels the full potential will not be seem for many years… We keep returning to the deep core of fruit and the stunning tannic profile, so detailed and precise, it just oozes quality and refinement, it keeps growing in stature, effortless, wonderful, this clearly has a huge future ahead. Nicolas describes it as “a delicate, almost syrup-like, silky structure”. A spectacular Pichon! 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot and 6% Cabernet Franc.

critic reviews

99/100Neal Martin,Vinous

The 2020 Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande has one of the more opulent aromatic profiles amongst the flight of Pauillac wines, displaying black cherries, cassis, graphite and cedar. The palate is medium-bodied with svelte tannins and a silver bead of acidity. Silky smooth in texture, this retains impressive composure toward the finish, handling the weight of fruit with class. It improves with each swirl, though the bottle I tasted just after bottling had a touch more precision. Nevertheless, this a fabulous Pauillac that flirts with perfection. Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting.

DRINKING WINDOW 2032 - 2065

date of review 11/2024

95/100William Kelley,Robert Parker Wine Advocate

The 2020 Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande is very demonstrative out of the gates, bursting from the glass without any coaxing to exhibit aromas of sweet cassis and blueberries mingled with notions of clove, violets and lilac. Medium to full-bodied, velvety and polished, with a seamless, charming profile that exhibits no hard edges, it concludes with a nicely defined, spice-inflected finish. It's a superb exercise in haut couture winemaking, even if, to my palate, the 2019 offers a deeper dive into the estate's D.N.A.

DRINKING WINDOW 2022 - 2045

date of review 04/2023

98/100Lisa Perrotti-Brown,The Wine Independent

The 2020 Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande is made from 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot, and 6% Cabernet Franc. Deep garnet-purple in color, it needs considerable swirling to bring out fragrant scents of lilacs, tilled soil, rosehip tea, and Sichuan pepper, giving way to a core of cassis, black raspberries, and cedar chest with emerging iron ore and charcoal scents. The medium-bodied palate is so tightly knit, with firm, grainy tannins and lovely tension, finishing long and minerally.

DRINKING WINDOW 2027 - 2062

date of review 03/2023

97/100Jane Anson,Inside Bordeaux

Stands out from the lineup as ever, a stunning wine with silky smooth tannins that are fine in character but abundant, offering decades of growth ahead. Finessed and juicy blackcurrant, blueberry and bilberry fruit, waves of tobacco, heather, liquorice root, crushed rocks, cigar box, pomegranate, orange peel and pencil lead. So consistent, amazing. 60% new oak, 30hl/ha yield, Nicolas Glumineau director. An upscore from En Primeur.

DRINKING WINDOW 2030 - 2048

date of review 02/2023