CHÂTEAU PICHON LALANDE

Aromas of blackcurrants, blueberries, ash and cedar with hints of conifer. Full-bodied, yet so tight and refined with polished, toned tannins that are creamy and compact with a silky texture. Energetic and driven. Try after 2026. Rating: 97 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Feb 2021)

Displays a seriously deep well of dark currant, blackberry paste and plum preserves fruit that needs some time to unwind fully, as it’s shrouded in warm earth, tobacco, singed cedar, sweet bay leaf and savory notes. There’s a ramrod of graphite through the entire wine too, adding to its strident, structured feel. A real brick house. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Drinking range: 2030 - 2050 Rating: 98 James Molesworth, The Wine Spectator (Jan 2021)

The top wine is the 2018 Pichon-Longueville Comtesse De Lalande, a Cabernet Sauvignon-dominated blend of 71% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Petit Verdot. Compared to the 2010 by director Nicolas Glumineau, this saturated purple-colored effort offers the classic elegance and regal style of the estate as well as plenty of pure Pauillac character. Crème de cassis, liquid violets, charcoal, and scorched earth nuances all give way to a full-bodied, deep, layered 2018 that has remarkable purity, building yet ultra-fine tannins, flawless balance, and a great, great finish. It's in the same class as the magical 2016, and while I suspect it will be approachable with just short-term cellaring, it's going to age for 40 years or more. This estate has been on a qualitative roll over the past 5-6 years thanks to the talents of Glumineau, and this is unquestionably another great wine from him and his team. Rating: 96-98 Jeb Dunnuck, www.jebdunnuck.com (May 2019)

The grand vin represents 50% of the crop this year. The 2018 Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande is made up of 71% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot with a pH of 3.85, an IPT (total polyphenol index) of 87 and 14% alcohol. Very deep purple-black colored, it is like hitting a brick wall to begin, needing considerable coaxing to start to reveal notes of crushed black cherries, warm blackberries, ripe blackcurrants and chocolate cake with nuances of violets, rose hip tea, charcuterie, tapenade and incense with wafts of new leather and iron ore. Full-bodied, concentrated and completely laden with tightly wound black fruit and savory layers, the palate gives a rock-solid backbone of firm, super ripe, super fine-grained tannins and soft background freshness, finishing very long with a veritable display of mineral fireworks. Rating: 97-99 Lisa Perrotti-Brown, RobertParker.com (Apr 2019)

Black core. Cedary cassis-leaf aroma, typically Pichon Lalande. Like the Réserve de la Comtesse, this is so gentle, charming, rounded, fresh and tender. Easy to underestimate. Extremely fine, intense but no show of power even with a long finish and even knowing that it has real depth. A gentle and surprisingly subtle beauty. Drinking range: 2028 - 2038 Rating: 17.5 Julia Harding MW, www.JancisRobinson.com (Apr 2019)

A deep and intense young red with blackberries and blueberries, as well as green olives and hints of fresh tobacco. But really black fruit. Full-bodied, tight and integrated with a refreshing and harmonious finish. Just floating on the palate. Great tannin backbone to this. A classic. Another flying carpet. Rating: 98-99 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Apr 2019)

The blend is 71% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot, and the alcohol is 14%. This has a dark and smoky character on the nose, rather reticent and cool on my first tasting with the UGC, but when tasted later in the week at the château it was more expressive, open and charming, with finely poised black cherry, blackcurrant and damson fruits. The palate is fresh, broad and bold, with a rather elegant texture, open and carrying a ripe bed of nicely knit tannins and a fresh, bright acidity. Rich yet elegant, polished, with substantial fruit, showing a beautifully sinewy style and a long, grippy finish, this feels relaxed but this is deceptive, as there is a brooding bed of black fruits here, with a rich bed of tannin wrapped up within it. The style is long, energetic, fresh and cool, with a flourish of rich tannic substance in the finish, the second sample much more convincing than the first. A really imposing style, with very fine potential, dark, quite lovely, but not over-ripe. Delicious. The élevage here is in 60% new and 40% second-fill oak. Rating: 96-98 Chris Kissack, www.thewinedoctor.com (Apr 2019)

Ripe and stylish, it is elegance personified and will be a very fine wine to age. Its structure and tannins are generous yet gently handled, giving density while preserving the bright dark fruit flavors. Rating: 97 Roger Voss, Wine Enthusiast www.winemag.com (Apr 2019)

This has to be up there with one of the most seductive Comtesses on record with layers of alternating softness and concentration combined with a lot of 2016’s elegance and power. The nose on this stands out a mile, getting it right up on the podium before you even take a sip. Rich raspberries combine with peonies and curls of woodsmoke while the appellation’s signature slate, cedar, liquorice and tannic grip slowly builds up on the palate. I’ve tasted this several times with each conveying a juiciness and elegance that is quite different in style to many in Pauillac this year - it's a 98-100 for me, and I'm already looking forward to re-tasting it in bottle. 1% Petit Verdot completes the blend. 60% new oak used. 13% press wine. Drinking range: 2026 - 2040 Rating: 98-100 Jane Anson, Decanter (Mar 2019)