Pichon Comtesse Réserve, Pauillac,

The 2018 Reserve de Pichon Comtesse is deep garnet-purple in color. It has a nose of dried herbs, baked blackberries, and dried mulberries, plus suggestions of blackcurrant pastilles and black olives. Medium-bodied, the palate delivers herb-tinged black fruits, with a chewy texture and a firm finish.

The 2018 Réserve de Pichon Comtesse has undergone a discreet change of name since the 2017 vintage. What has not changed is that it’s a knockout Second Label. It ladles out gorgeous scents of blackberry mixed with iodine and violets, just as it did from barrel. The palate is quite rich and generous, with saturated, pliant tannins, a very fine line of acidity and hints of graphite furnishing the finish. Give it, say, three years in bottle and you will have a delicious wine on your hands.