Chateau Pichon Comtesse de Lalande 2019

WEINWISSER: "Tiefes Purpur mit schwarzer Mitte. Ein royaler Beginn nach schwarzen Johannisbeeren, Schokotrüffeln und Alpenheidelbeeren. Im zweiten Ansatz heller Tabak, weisser Kompottpfeffer und Lakritze. Am delikaten Gaumen mit einer Textur wie Samt und Seide, kakaoartiges Tannin, was plötzlich zupackt und engmaschig wird, für den durchtrainierten Körper kein Problem. Im gebündelten, nicht enden wollenden Finale ein Feuerwerk aus blauen und schwarzen Beeren, tiefgründige Terroirwürze und Kardamom. Der Wein lebt von seiner unglaublichen Dynamik, die Comtesse wirkt heuer ernster und erreicht ein neues Level dank Nicolas Glumineau! Da gibt es nur eine Wertung!"

THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER: "Absolutely compelling from the initial swirl, sniff and sip. It takes no time to recognize this as being an incredible, future legendary Bordeaux! The perfume is mesmerizing with its display of flowers, spices, tobacco leaf, cassis, plum and blackberries. But it is the texture, with its layers of silky, perfectly, ripe, sweet fruits that steals the show. Rich, full-bodied and concentrated, the decadent finish, with all its multiple layers sticks with you for at least sixty seconds! Drink from 2029-2055."

JEB DUNNUCK: "Pure class, the 2019 Château Pichon-Longueville Comtesse De Lalande is another brilliant wine from director Nicolas Glumineau that checks in at the top of the vintage. A blend of 71% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, and 6% Cabernet Franc that was harvested from mid-September through October 8th. Brought up in roughly 60% new French oak, it hit 14.1% natural alcohol with a pH of 3.7. More elegant and poised from bottle than barrel, it offers a brilliant perfume of crème de cassis, lead pencil shavings, tobacco leaf, damp earth, and graphite. Deep, full-bodied, and pure perfection on the palate, it has this incredible marriage of Latour-like stature and regalness buffered by wonderful, sexy, seamless fruit, which no doubt comes from the higher Merlot content and makes Comtesse de Lalande so singular and unique. It builds slowly with time in the glass and has remarkable purity of fruit, ultra-fine tannins, perfect balance, and a finish that just begs you to pour another glass. It has a seductive, seamless profile that offers pleasure even today (although it needs lots of air to show at its best) yet needs 7-8 years of bottle age to hit the early stages of its prime drink window and will evolve for another 40-50 years if stored properly."

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "One of the wines of the vintage, the 2019 Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande soars from the glass with complex aromas of wild berries, tobacco leaf, loamy soil, burning embers and hints of violets and rose petals. Full-bodied, deep and complete, it’s velvety and seamless, with a broad attack and a multidimensional core of lively, succulent fruit. Concluding with a long, expansive finish, it’s a remarkable young Pauillac that will offer many years of thrilling drinking. Congratulations to Nicolas Glumineau and his team, who are ushering in a new golden age at an address where standards were always very high."

LISA PERROTTI-BROWN: "The 2019 Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande is composed of 71% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, and 6% Cabernet Franc. Deep garnet-purple in color, it features notions of cedar chest and menthol to begin, giving way to a core of blackcurrant pastilles, black cherries, and fragrant soil with a waft of wild sage. The medium to full-bodied palate is rich and dense, with firm tannins and a long spicy finish."

JAMES SUCKLING: "Classic aromas of lead-pencil shavings, blackcurrants and blueberries, as well as some as, following through to a full body with polished tannins and a fresh, delicious finish. Wonderful crafted. Try after 2025."

DECANTER: "Inky in hue, concentrated and designed for the long-haul, Pichon Comtesse is very backwards in the glass on initial tasting. After five minutes in the glass the wine's characters start to emerge – dark berry fruit, exotic spices, hints of chocolate and some floral notes of violet/rose. The wine is elegant and precise, with all the components in place for two to three decades of ageing. The Baron has the edge at the moment but I suspect Comtesse will win through at the end."

FALSTAFF: "Dunkles Rubingranat, opaker Kern, violette Reflexe, zarte Randaufhellung. Zart nach Vanille und Nougat, dunkle Beeren, reife Kirschen, ein Hauch von Cassis, kandierte Orangenzesten. Saftig, rote Kirschen, frisch strukturiert, integrierte Tannine, mineralisch und ausgewogen, bereits gut entwickelt, steht am Anfang einer blendenden Karriere, sehr lebendiger Stil."

WINE ENTHUSIAST: "The wine's tannins and beautiful fruits are impressive. It has the acidity and freshness of the vintage while also giving a structure and texture that will assure considerable aging. This is a very fine wine that will be ready from 2026. "

JANCIS ROBINSON: "Tasted blind. Deep crimson. Weak rim. Biscuity, alluring nose. Dry finish. Correct without being mind-blowing. All the ingredients are there without being knit together."