CHÂTEAU PICHON LALANDE

The 2005 Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande is a wine from the château's less brilliant period. In this tasting, it is dark, heavy and clumsy. All that said, the 2005 has aged relatively well, there is just not much complexity to speak of. Muted, unfocused aromatics and dull fruit are penalizing. It is truly remarkable to see how much the Pichon Comtesse has progressed since this wine was made. Drinking range: 2021 - 2035 Rating: 89 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Apr 2021)

The Château Pichon-Lalande 2005 that was so divisive at birth but as I expected right from the beginning, this is maturing into a lovely Pauillac. It offers compelling tobacco and graphite scents on the nose, belying the Merlot content of this blend, reserved at first but opening gloriously in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with very fine tannin and well-judged acidity. There is an effortlessness quality about this Pichon-Lalande. ‘tis not the most powerful or decadent Pauillac but its is very sophisticated and refined. Drinking range: 2018 - 2045 Rating: 95 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Feb 2015)

Good full red-ruby. Very ripe, musky aromas of black plum, currant, menthol, dark chocolate, mocha and meat; less pristine than the 2006 but rather youthfully subdued today. Then lush and fat but not overly sweet in the mouth, with a nice balance between ripe fruit and harmonious acidity. A full, broad wine that builds slowly and lingers on the back end, which features substantial but ripe, round tannins. Can't quite match the young 2006 for vitality, but this is distinctly more exotic, in the style of the year. Rating: 90 Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar (May 2008)

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) Rating: 90-92 Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar (May 2007)

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 Rating: 90-93 Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar (May 2006)

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. Rating: ****/18.5 www.decanter.com (May 2006)

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. Rating: 92-94 James Suckling, The Wine Spectator (May 2006)

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 Rating: 17.5 Jancis Robinson OBE MW - www.JancisRobinson.com (May 2006)