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2018 RÉSERVE DE LA COMTESSE Pauillac, Lea & Sandeman

RÉSERVE DE LA COMTESSE

2018 Pauillac

Grapes Cab Franc, Petit Verdot, Merlot, Cab Sauv
Colour Red
Origin France, Bordeaux
Sub-district Haut Médoc
Village Pauillac
ABV 13%

53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 42% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot, 1% Cabernet Franc. This is a stunning Réserve de la Comtesse. It has a beautiful fragrant nose of blackberry and dark cherry fruit with a lovely violet accent. There is real purity and brightness to the fruit, as well as a lovely satin texture. The wine flows effortlessly across the palate. You just want to gorge on it and fortunately it will be drinking relatively soon. This is a sensational second wine from Pichon Comtesse that could well be one of the top buys of the campaign. Drinking range: 2023 - 2030 L&S (Apr 2019)


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The selection was made during the tasting sessions, so this is a true second wine, and reflects the crop of the younger vines, which Nicolas Glumineau felt tended towards – in some cases – dried herbes de Provence notes. It accounts for 50% of the crop. The blend is 54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Merlot, 10% Petit Verdot and 2% Cabernet Franc. A classically dark and focused nose, with veins of black cherry, damson and violets, with threads of dark chocolate and currant, this seems to encapsulate the style of the vintage. I get the same honesty, grip and drive on the palate seen in some of the appellation’s best wines, with dark and savoury fruits, a sinewy and lithe texture, leading to a finish of powdery tannin and tobacco-infused grip. This is a very impressive second wine, showing great mettle. It will see just over a year in barrel, using 50% new oak. The alcohol is 13.8%. Rating: 91-93 Chris Kissack, www.thewinedoctor.com (May 2023)

My feeling about the 2018 Réserve de la Comtesse is pretty much the same as it was when I first tasted it en primeur. It is an attractive, gracious wine with plenty of immediacy and appeal, but not the depth of some previous editions. I imagine that mostly reflects the significant presence of young vine fruit here and the uneven quality of the growing season and vintage. I would prefer to drink the 2018 over the next decade or so. Drinking range: 2021 - 2030 Rating: 91 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Mar 2021)

The 2018 Réserve de Pichon Comtesse has undergone a discreet change of name since the 2017 vintage. What has not changed is that it’s a knockout Second Label. It ladles out gorgeous scents of blackberry mixed with iodine and violets, just as it did from barrel. The palate is quite rich and generous, with saturated, pliant tannins, a very fine line of acidity and hints of graphite furnishing the finish. Give it, say, three years in bottle and you will have a delicious wine on your hands. Drinking range: 2023 - 2036 Rating: 91 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Mar 2021)

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 - 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.

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