RÉSERVE DE LA COMTESSE
2015 Pauillac
53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, 3% Petit Verdot. Attractive red (raspberry) and black (plum) fruit on the nose and the sweet entry. Very, very Pichon in its plush supple superfine texture. Simply delicious. Just enough drying serious tannin on the finish to hold the interest and the length. Rating: 91-92 L&S (Apr 2016)
* This is a pre-shipment/primeur offer. All orders are accepted under the TERMS of this offer which differ from the terms of the rest of the site.
The 2015 Réserve de la Comtesse has a fresh, delineated bouquet of cedar-infused red fruit; undergrowth and humidor notes surface with time in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-grained tannin, and fresh and balanced though not overly complex. It just needs to manifest more nuance and personality on the finish to merit a higher score. This tasted better 12 months ago. Tasted blind at the Southwold 2015 Bordeaux tasting. Rating: 88 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Jul 2019)
This is an impressive second wine. It shows a lot of vibrant red berries, blackberries and darker plum fruits. The palate is impressive for the vibrant and lively acidity cast amid sturdy but supple tannins. Second wine from Pichon-Lalande. Drinking range: 2021 - Rating: 93 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Feb 2018)
The 2015 Réserve de la Comtesse is a superb second wine. Time in barrel and egg white fining have softened some of the tannins the 2015 showed as a barrel sample, but the fruit intensity, pedigree and class of the estate are all in the glass. Black cherry graphite, smoke and licorice are some of the many notes that infuse this potent, almost shockingly virile Comtesse. Quite simply, in 2015 Comtesse is equal to, or greater than, many Grand Vins. Don't miss it. The 2015 spent 12 months in oak, 25% new. Drinking range: 2022 - 2035 Rating: 92 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Feb 2018)
Attractive in its youth, as it often is, the second wine from Pichon-Comtesse ages well, too. This is floral, fine and well balanced with skilfully judged tannins and oak and good underlying structure. Impressive stuff. Drinking range: 2020 - 2028 Rating: 93 Tim Atkin MW, www.timatkin.com (May 2016)
The second wine of Pichon-Lalande is 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot. A dark, slightly spicy nose, showing the character of the vintage a little more than the associated wines of Pichon-Baron; here we have a fresh, dark, curranty character, with dried blackcurrant skins, juniper berry and gritty toasted pip notes. A succulent start to the palate, fresh and cool, with perfumed fruit, blackcurrants and spiced black cherry. A delicious and very succulent style, full of creamed-fruit confidence. A really charming second wine, with a fine tannic backbone. An impressive second wine. Rating: 15.5-16.5/20 Chris Kissack, www.thewinedoctor.com (Apr 2016)
Spicy, almost chocolatey aspects on the palate. Supple and rich, it makes up in body what it seems to lack in aroma. Drinking range: 2019 - 2030 Rating: 89 Steven Spurrier (Apr 2016)
The 2015 Reserve de la Comtesse is a blend of 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot. It has a very fine, quite sophisticated and pure bouquet with black cherries, cedar and violet aromas, perfumed and sensual. The palate is medium-bodied with supple, rounded tannin that is cloaked by layers of tobacco-tinged black fruit that segues into a long, lightly spiced finish. This is a delightful, quite serious deuxième vin that I suspect will age much longer than drinkers will afford it. Try to give this five years and you will be rewarded. Drinking range: 2020 - 2035 Rating: 90-92 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Apr 2016)
The 2015 Réserve de la Comtesse is a powerful, tannic second wine that looks like it will need a few years in bottle to come together, as its structural spine is imposing at this stage. Dark, brooding and intense, the 2015 possesses magnificent depth and pedigree to burn. A host of black cherry, graphite, smoke, licorice and incense hit the building, intense finish. The 2015 is a gorgeous Comtesse, but the brooding style is going to take some time to come into its own. This is a serious second wine. Rating: 90-93 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Apr 2016)
Lively, with kirsch and cherry paste notes that are lined with fresh floral and bright iron notes, followed by a rather sleek finish. Rating: 87—90 James Molesworth, The Wine Spectator (Apr 2016)
Lots of blackberry and blueberry aromas and flavors. Full body, chewy tannins and a savory finish. A juicy second wine from PL. Rating: 92-93 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Mar 2016)
Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande
Pauillac Deuxième cru 1855 Facing Château Latour across the road, at the southern end of Pauillac, are the twin Château Pichons. Originally one estate, the two were divided in 1850 on the death of Joseph Pichon. His son Raoul inherited the title of Baron de Longueville and the vineyards of Château Pichon Longueville Baron de Longueville, whilst his daughters inherited the portion that became Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande. The only daughter to produce off-spring was Marie-Laure who had married Comte Henri de Lalande in 1818 and it was her descendents, therefore, who shaped the future of Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande (or Pichon Comtesse as it is often more conveniently known). The two estates continued to be run as a single vineyard for another ten years, allowing them jointly to be awarded 2nd Growth status in 1855. Pichon Comtesse is now owned by the Rouzard family, owners of the Champagne house of Louis Roederer. Under the ownership of May de Lencquesaing in the final quarter of the 20th Century, the vineyard area of Pichon Comtesse grew from around 40ha to today's 75ha. The vines are 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 12% Cabernet Franc and 8% Petit Verdot. Fermentation takes place in stainless steel, with the wine spending 18 months in wood (50% new). Pichon Comtesse produce one of the most highly regarded second wines - Réserve de la Comtesse (recently renamed Pichon Comtesse La Réserve') - which rivals many other estate's grand vins. The healthy reputation that Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande enjoys puts it clearly in the mould of a "super second" - those 2nd Growth estates who's wines merit comparison with the Premier Grand Cru Classés. Pichon Comtesse has had the better of comparisons with its sibling Pichon Baron whose fortunes waned during the 20th Century even if, today, they are on a more equal footing. It is inevitable that the two Pichons will be compared with one another, with Comtesse being a more subtle seductive wine than its slightly foresquare namesake.
Please make sure that you have read the terms of this offer which are different from those of the main website. If you are unclear as to what is involved in primeur purchases please do call us, but see the 'practical notes' below.
Ordering
Prices are per case as listed 'in bond London'.
Pre-Orders are a firm commitment from you to buy the wines you order on release, subject to the price being below the upper price of the estimated band on our website. You may also set your own upper price limit, lower or higher than ours. Pre-orders will be fulfilled subject to availability. Providing this firm commitment to us effectively gives you priority.
Wines listed on the website (after any pre-orders and allocations have been fulfilled) can be ordered in the usual way via the website order form or by email or telephone 020 7221 1982, always subject to stock remaining.
Confirmation
All orders will be confirmed by email and are contractually binding unless written cancellation is received within seven days of the confirmation date, apart from pre-orders which are binding if the release price is below the top estimate or other price you have set.
Invoices are raised at the In Bond price, excluding any duty and VAT which will become payable at the prevailing rates on arrival of the wine if required duty paid.
Payment is required on sight of invoice, by cash, cheque, debit card or credit transfer. We reserve the right to charge 2% per month on invoices unpaid after 30 days.
Delivery
- Shipment to our bond (LCB Creek Road) and insurance are included in the in bond price.
- Delivery is free to Lea and Sandeman / Elephant storage accounts, both duty paid and in bond.
- Other deliveries (In Bond and Duty Paid) are also free subject to a minimum order from the offer of £1000, orders below this total will be charged £16.50+ VAT when the wine invoices are issued. We will group deliveries and this is a charge for your entire purchases, not a per-case charge.
- Delivery for 2016 Bordeaux primeurs will probably be completed by October 2019, but we make no guarantee as to specific delivery times, and some of the Sauternes may be later.
Practical notes - how it works
We start a sale in each customer's name and add all their primeur orders to one sale which is invoiced at the end of the campaign (or when the customer wishes) for immediate payment. We and our customers find that having a single invoice for the vintage is the simpler option, but do please note that confirmed orders are still binding as above even if the final invoice has not been issued.
When the wine is shipped, unless previously specified we will assume that delivery is to be to bonded storage with Elephant Storage, but in any case, we will contact you requesting any alternative instructions. If you have another bonded delivery address you would like the wine to go to, please tell us at the time of ordering. If the wines are required duty-paid we will issue invoices at the rates prevailing at the time for the excise duty (currently £25.98 per case) and the VAT (currently at 20%) on the total of the wine cost and the duty.
Half-bottles, Magnums and larger bottles.
One of the additional advantages of buying en primeur is being able to order the wine in the bottle size you want. Even if a wine is only listed in one size, you can order any bottle or case size you want if the property supplies it, but you must order the case/bottle size you require and check that the correct size has been invoiced.
Additional charges are as follows:-
- +£15 per case of 24 half-bottles
- +£15 per case of 6 Magnums (2 bottles equivalent, 1.5 litres each)
- +£35 per individually boxed Double Magnum (4 bottles equivalent, 3 litres)
- +£45 per individually boxed Imperial (8 bottles equivalent, 6 litres) for Salmanazars, Balthazars, Nebuchadnezzars and Melchiors please enquire for availability and price.