CHATEAU PICHON LONGUEVILLE 'COMTESSE DE LALANDE' 2eme Cru Classe Pauillac 2023 Wooden Case x 3 Bottles - PRE-RELEASE

Description

THE WINE ADVOCATE (97-99)
Reviewed by: William Kelley
The 2023 Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande is a brilliant wine that will be worth a special effort to track down. Unwinding in the glass with aromas of wild berries and cassis mingled with licorice, lilac, iris root, violet, burning embers and pencil shavings, it's medium to full-bodied, seamless and complete, with a deep, layered core of cool fruit that largely conceals it's ultra-refined structuring tannins. At a very measured 13% alcohol and 3.67 pH, it unites all Pichon Comtesse's sensuality with unimpeachable Pauillac classicism. The 2023 is a blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot and 3% Cabernet Franc.

Since joining Pichon Lalande just after the 2012 harvest, Nicolas Glumineau has made a number of changes. In the vineyards, Cabernet Sauvignon is increasingly displacing Merlot, and the soils are worked less frequently. Cover crops are employed, canopy management has evolved, with both fruiting canes now trained in the same direction—Glumineau would like to trial pruning "Guyot simple" if Pauillac's cahier de charges (appellation rules) permitted it—and 27 hectares of the estate's 102 are being farmed organically. A new, highly functional winery and cellar equips him with stainless steel tronconic tanks adapted to parcel-by-parcel vinification. Cooperage choices, too, have been refined (some 65% new oak is the order of the day), and the duration of élevage has been extended to 18-19 months in barrel before racking to tank before bottling. The result? Even as Cabernet Sauvignon occupies a more and more important place in the blend, Pichon Lalande has never been more seamless and sensual, exhibiting a rare degree of structural refinement combined with remarkable complexity and depth of flavor.

JAMES SUCKLING ***** 98-99 Points
17 Apr, 2024 – Wow. This is really excellent, with superb finesse and focus. It has tight density that is almost diamond-like in its brilliance. Medium to full body, with a quality of tannin that is incredibly seamless. Like silk in texture. A top Pichon Lalande. From organic and biodynamically grown grapes. 80% cabernet sauvignon, 17% merlot and 3% cabernet franc. May be better than 2022.

DECANTER 98
Tasted by: Georgina Hindle (at Bordeaux, 08 Apr 2024) Part of Best Pauillac 2023 wines tasted en primeur
Drinking Window: 2033 - 2049
This smells divine, lovely lush blackcurrant and black cherry characters on the nose with pencil led, graphite, liquorice and menthol elements - very Pauillac on the nose. Gorgeous weight, supple and agile, great movement and energy to this. Acidity makes this buzzy, tangy and bright but not over the top, this keeps its structure and retains a serious directness from start to finish. Generous licks of minerality adds some cool classicism to it. Sleek and refined, precise and very drinkable. One of a number of brilliant Pauillac wines in 2023. Winemaker Nicolas Glumineau wants it to be racy and it’s certainly racy. 50% grand vin production, 50% second. 3.67pH, 14.7% press wine only Cabernet. Ageing 19 months, 60-65% new oak and then one wine barrels.

JANE ANSON 98
VINOUS 96-98


Terms and Conditions:
Delivery - Spring or Autumn 2026.
Prices - Include Freight, Duty & GST. No further discounts apply
Allocation - On a first-come-first-served basis.
Payment - As per our normal T&Cs.
E&OE - Errors & Omissions Excepted
Disclaimer - Prices of wine and spirits can go up or down. We are not liable for any losses incurred should any wine decrease in value from date of purchase.