2005 CHÂTEAU PICHON LALANDE 2ème Cru Classé Pauillac Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande

Very dark crimson. Broad and opulent on the nose - scented. Fresh and relatively simple. A little green note? Neat and compact but not as dense as some. Certainly a ripe vintage with dry tannins and representative of 2005, but correct rather than a wow wine. Very competent and well balanced. Finishes quite suddenly. (I tasted the 2004 alongside and was most impressed by its vivacity and depth. It could be even better than the 2005!) More obvious sweetness than the 2004. 2012-25   17.5

Deep ruby-red. Black- and redcurrant, smoke, minerals, graphite, cedar and mint on the nose, with a note of burning tobacco in the background. Suave in texture and fairly deep but with a slight edge of acidity to the kirsch and exotic spice flavors. This enters the mouth discreet, then expands toward the back and lingers with subtlety. Offers lovely aromatic persistence but does it have real thrust? I note that I had the same question about this wine a year ago. (May/June 2007)   90-92/100

Deep colour, full and fleshy, really seductive, some leafiness, but full of florality and exotic spices, a superbly smooth wine with more power than is evident now. Drink 2012-35.   ****/18.5

The Pichon-Lalande showed a ripe plumy nose with blackberry and raspberry, not quite as defined as the sample poured at the château. With time in glass there are scents of cedar wood, a touch of Xmas cake and cassis, all the time gaining vivacity in the glass. The palate is very ripe, beautifully defined with excellent balance. Finesse here, a well-bred Pauillac with a bright, cedar-infused finish that will hopefully just put on a little more weight. Excellent. Drink 2010-2035.   95/100

Only 50% of the production made it into this blend of 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Petit Verdot. The Merlot harvest began on September 20, and the Cabernet Sauvignon was brought in in early October. Deep ruby-hued with purple highlights, the lighter-styled 2005 Pichon-Lalande (reminiscent of Pinot Noir) is a racy, elegant, finesse-filled Pauillac without the power, flesh, and substance of previous vintages. Its delicacy and vibrancy have resulted in a singularly styled effort for this impeccably run estate. I would not be surprised to see the 2005 put on more weight after 4-5 years of bottle age; it should keep for two decades.   89-91/100

The 2005 Pichon-Lalande was one of the more surprising wines of the vintage in April. Made in a rather polite, highly aromatic style, it struck me as almost more Margaux than Pauillac in character. For his part, technical director Thomas Do-Chi-Nam described vintage 2004 as "very Pauillac," and the new 2005 as "very Pichon-Lalande." The fruit in '05 was ripe and nicely concentrated, he explained, with the same number of grape clusters as usual but with smaller berries and thorough ripeness promising a lot of tannins. "We pick for red fruits, not jammy fruits," noted Do-Chi-Nam. "Too many people tried to extract everything; but that's not our way of thinking." Incidentally, this wine features a high percentage of cabernet and less merlot than usual, a formula I usually associate with the best vintages here. (64% cabernet sauvignon, 29% merlot, 6% cab franc and 1% petit verdot) Good red-ruby color. Raspberry, redcurrant, tobacco leaf and flowers on the nose. Red-fruity and refined in the mouth, showing none of the smoke, animal or chocolate qualities I associate with this chateau. Distinctly delicate and fine, with moderate density and suave, building tannins. Incidentally, the IPT here is 68, compared to 73 in 2004. A wine of finesse: only time, and elevage, will tell if there's enough strength behind it. If there is, this 2005 will merit a score at the high end of my projected range   90-93/100

Love the aromas here of currants, licorice, exotic fruit, and berries. Complex. Full and silky, with gorgeous tannins. This is really long and reserved. Very close to 95-100. I will see in bottle.   92-94/100

Deep black purple hue. Opaque. Like the Reserve de la Comtesse, a exceptionally fine nose of cedar, hawthorn, ripe blackberry fruit (not leaf like some other 2005's) cassis and strawberry. Superb definition. Medium bodied, beautifully balanced with a firm mid-palate. Tannic but balanced with layers of blackcurrant, raspberry, cedar and tobacco. The Cabernet is more dominant this year. Firm grip on the finish, I wine that does not want to let go (and why would you want it to?) A vin de garde Pichon Lalande with much to offer.   23/25