CHÂTEAU PICHON LALANDE

The 2017 Pichon-Lalande was picked from 7 September to 2 October and underwent a 23 day cuvaison period. It is intense on the nose, the new oak coming through a little strongly since the sample came from a new barrel, the final blend consisting of 60% new wood. The palate is medium-bodied with firm tannin, the Cabernet Sauvignon driving this alone with layers of black fruit laced with cedar and graphite. It is a very “Pauillac” Pichon Lalande, less opulent and giving than recent vintages and more in the style of say, the 1996 or 2010. There is very good persistence on the saline finish but it is clearly a wine that is going to require more cellaring than its peers. Tasted four times in total, each time this gained more substance and density. Drinking range: 2022 - 2045 Rating: 93-95 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (May 2018)

The picking across the Pichon-Lalande vineyard commenced on September 7th, starting with the young Merlot, and the later-ripeners were only finished on October 1st. Frost wasn’t a problem on the parcels destined for the grand vin (see my note on the second wine for more detail on the frost as it pertained to this estate). The blend here is 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot. This, says Nicolas Glumineau, is quite similar to very recent vintages, especially if considering the two Cabernets together which add up to 76%. “Between 75% and 80% Cabernet, the rest aromatic grapes, fits Pichon-Lalande”, he tells me. This has a beautifully perfumed, fresh and direct nose, with red cherry, a little blackcurrant, vanilla flower, peony fragrance with a little cigar oak wrapped around the middle. It is fresh, pure and substantial on the palate, composed, with very full, generous style, some very finessed tannins, with a good middle structure, but it never strays from elegant poise, with a peppery, tobacco-tinged wrapping of oak. Fresh, with attractive complexity, very cool and bright, with long and nicely grained tannins in the finish. Fine potential. Rating: 94-96 Chris Kissack, www.thewinedoctor.com (May 2018)

70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot. Dark crimson with soft pink rim. Lightly leafy dark fruit. Super-smooth texture and some fruit sweetness on the mid palate. Firm, dark and elegant on the finish. Sinewy and quite supple and long even without huge intensity, showing the charm of Comtesse and still clearly revealing its Pauillac origins. A smart, elegant wine reflecting the vintage. Tannins are tender – if more serious than on the Réserve de la Comtesse – and fruit just right. Drinking range: 2027 - 2042 Rating: 17 Julia Harding MW, www.JancisRobinson.com (Apr 2018)

This barrel sample is 100% new oak, whereas the final blend will be only 60% new oak. A blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot, the 2017 Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande is very deep garnet-purple in color with an incredibly fragrant nose of roses, lavender and baking spices over a core of crushed blackcurrants, wild blueberries and fresh plums plus touches of iron ore and underbrush. Medium-bodied and elegant with firm, grainy tannins, it's quite taut and muscular, with lots of perfumed and mineral layers and a long finish with lingering cinnamon and anise notes. Rating: 94-96 Lisa Perrotti-Brown, RobertParker.com (Apr 2018)

If you just taste the big name Pauillacs, you would be hard-pressed to understand that 2017 has been a challenging year. This is one of my wines of the vintage, no question. It's from 21ha, biodynamically farmed, with Vincent Masson as consultant. Just a few plots further away from the river were affected by frost. The slight austerity of 2017 is evident, with a savoury quality to the fruit, but this is exceptionally good, with plenty of stunning fruit and well defined tannins. The aromatics are very refined, and the intense cassis fruit doesn't sacrifice any intensity or power. It demonstrates the energy that Comtesse has displayed so consistently in recent vintages, with gorgeous finesse and structure to the tannins. The new cellar has raised the level of Cabernet from 65% to 70+%, with 12% press wine. This is going to age extremely well. Drinking range: 2026 - 2040 Rating: 94 Jane Anson, Decanter (Apr 2018)

The Grand Vin 2017 Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande checks in as a rough blend of 73% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, and 6% Cabernet Franc, with yields a modest 36 hectoliters per hectare. Still again in 60% new French oak, it sports a deep ruby color as well as textbook Cabernet flair in its black and blue fruits, leafy herbs, violets, and building minerality. Hitting 13.1% alcohol, it’s medium to full-bodied, elegant and seamless on the palate. It doesn’t have the weight of the 2015 but shines for its incredible purity and precision. Rating: 93-95 Jeb Dunnuck, www.jebdunnuck.com (Apr 2018)

This is a really fascinating young Pichon Lalande with a dense center palate of currants, crushed stones, salt and seashells. Really long and intense. Wonderful energy. Showing character of some of the top years of the 1980s. Rating: 95-96 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Apr 2018)

Solid, with a rounded, enticing core of plum and black currant preserve flavors supported by savory and tobacco notes. Has sleek tannins and fresh acidity for ample length and a nice graphite edge at the end. Rating: 92-95 James Molesworth, The Wine Spectator (Apr 2018)