Pichon Comtesse Réserve, Pauillac, 2023
Quite introverted, but there are hints of beautiful, perfumed, floral cassis. Dark and brooding with a glorious fruit core; composed and cool with refined, velvety tannins; long and juicy, loaded with minerals, dark fruits, salts and cacao. A very serious second wine. 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot and 5% Cabernet Franc.
critic reviews
Delicious in bottle, as it was En Primeur, a wonderful vintage that marks 50 years of the 2nd wine of Pichon Comtesse. Squid ink, cassis, blackberry, cocoa bean, cigar box, roses, beautiful length through the palate. 55% of the production. Nicolas Glumineau director.
The 2023 Pichon Comtesse Réserve has a fragrant bouquet with buoyant red berry fruit, rose petals and iris flower scents that blossom in the glass. Fine delineation. The palate is medium-bodied with crisp tannins, a pleasing salinity and especially spiciness that develops in the mouth, leading to a bright white pepper- and clove-tinged finish. It will just require a couple of years in bottle.
Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2023 Pichon Comtesse Reserve rolls out with evocative notes of ripe black cherries, redcurrant jelly, and boysenberries plus underlying hints of wild sage, wet slate, and damp soil. The medium-bodied palate is so fresh and elegant, with gentle powdery tannins supporting the delicate black fruit flavors, finishing on a lingering mineral note. The blend is 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot, and 5% Cabernet Franc. This is a higher percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon than is typical, a sign of the future since more of this variety is being planted.
A terrific second wine, the 2023 Reserve de la Comtesse wafts from the glass with a pure bouquet of blackcurrants, dark berries, lilac and pencil shavings. Medium to full-bodied, layered and velvety, it's sensual and vibrant, with melting tannins and a deep core of cool fruit framed by polished but present tannins. This blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot and 5% Cabernet Franc marks the 50th anniversary of this second wine's production.