Château Pichon Comtesse de Lalande, 2ème Cru Classé, Pauillac, 2022
Following the magnificent Pichon Comtesse Reserve, we had high expectations for the Grand Vin, and we were not to be disappointed. Nicolas explained that they have been preparing for 2022 over the last 10 years. A decade spent "tirelessly and fervently developing our winegrowing practices to keep nurturing life in our vineyard soils thanks to biodynamic and organic viticulture... But this year, our remarkably adaptable, resilient and courageous vines succeeded in producing smooth, delicious Merlot and elegant, aristocratic Cabernet wines despite the unprecedented and demanding conditions... It was our turn to be surprised!" As ever, this is one of the stand-out wines of the region, a wine with a textural and aromatic quality most can only dream of. Initially more shy and brooding than the Reserve, with a darker profile. With aeration, notes of fragrant cassis, violets, roses, graphite and sandalwood emerge. At this stage, it is the quality and texture of the perfumed fruit that is most impressive. Wave after wave of luxuriant, gravel infused cassis and plum – dense, velvety and above all refined. Subtle, pliable and multidimensional, there's so much detail here. Enveloping tannins provide nuance and length. An intellectual, seamless and complex Pichon with great stature produced from 78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc.
critic reviews
The 2022 Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande has an intense, concentrated bouquet with luscious ripe black plum and blueberry fruit, becoming more floral as it opens in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with succulent ripe tannins, plush and polished, though the warmth of the summer shapes the finish with hints of hoisin and liquorice. I am intrigued to see how this ages in bottle. Tasted blind at the Southwold tasting in London.
The grand vin from Nicolas Glumineau is 78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc, and the élevage was in 65% new oak and 35% second-fill oak barrels for 19 months. Remarkably it includes 17.5% press wine, up from the usual 13%, added with consultation from Eric Boissenot who is a big press-wine advocate. This accounts for 60% of production. An expressive, confidently dark, toasted and harmonious nose, with powdered chalk and crushed white gravel dusted over concentrated black cherry, blackberry and currant fruits. The palate is fresh and bright, with plenty of peppered dark fruit freshness, toast, liquorice and tar with black pepper energy, lots of great substance here wrapping all this up, supported by grip from the rich tannic substance. It continues with layers of dark and salted fruits, salty minerals, an intense confidence, and a long and peppery finish. Stunning potential here, with great energy wrapped up in this supple, mouth-watering, sinewy texture, which adds a sense of restraint to what is a confident style. A breathtaking, spine-tingling wine, which simmers with incredibly tight-knit tannin in the length, but with never a hair out of place. Superb, and surely a new benchmark for the estate, one which we can watch evolve over the next three or four decades. Tasted three times. The alcohol is 13.6%.
As ever this stands out from the pack. Elegant, finessed, deep diving into bitter black chocolate, mandarin rind, liquorice bud, anis, fennel, crayon, graphite and slate, with opulent depths to the blackberry and damson fruit, so many textural components to the construction of the wine, clever winemaking, love the gentlest wash of clove spice on the finish that speaks to the conditions of the vintage without ever overpowering. Great stuff, this will age for many years, but no need to wait as long as with vintages such as 2016, even 2020 - I suggest five to eight years here.
The 2022 Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande is one wine where a comparison with this estate's magical 1982 doesn't appear to be far-fetched. Wafting from the glass with deep aromas of cassis, plums, violets, rose petals, tobacco leaf and pencil shavings, it's full-bodied, supple and fleshy, with a layered, seamless core of fruit that largely conceals its chassis of powdery structuring tannin. Concluding with a long, expansive and beautifully perfumed finish, it's a blend of 78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc that has the potential to equal or even surpass the 2019 and 2016 vintages at this address. It checks in at a very classical 13.6% alcohol and a rather high pH of 3.80.