2021
6x75cl
DP
£984.02
vintage
portfolio
2021
6x75cl
DP
£984.02
2021
6x75cl
DP
£984.02
We weren't allowed to have a private audience with Nicolas Glumineau due to the chateau's commitments hosting the UGC tasting. It may be because they don't have enough wine to let us taste twice! Paltry yields of just 15 hectolitres per hectare will make this in short supply. We've said it before and we'll say it again, wines nearly always show better when tasted in isolation at the chateau, so Pichon Comtesse 2021 is likely to be much better than our assessment. Produced from an atypical blend of 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc and 2% Merlot, this opens with a typically kaleidoscopic aromatic profile of violets, tobacco, pot pourri, sandalwood, and fine, gravelly cassis. The palate is very gentle and harmonious – elegant and supple with a creamy texture, it feels like this will be an early drinker. Clear and crisp with a voluptuous and generous core of perfumed fruit, fleshy and ripe. This captures the brightness and energy of the vintage with supporting, graceful tannins flecked with notes of graphite and cassis. Delightfully refined.
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.
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