Tasting Notes
Vinous 98
The 2019 Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande demands more coaxing from the glass, but it rewards patience with compelling graphite-infused black fruit, unapologetically classic in style, the terroir flooding through. The palate is medium-bodied with wonderful sapidity, gorgeous balance and a pure yet powerful finish that makes you wish you could build a time machine and taste it in 20 years. Sublime. Tasted blind at the Southwold annual tasting.
Anticipated maturity: 2026-2060
Robert Parker 98
One of the wines of the vintage, the 2019 Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande soars from the glass with complex aromas of wild berries, tobacco leaf, loamy soil, burning embers and hints of violets and rose petals. Full-bodied, deep and complete, it’s velvety and seamless, with a broad attack and a multidimensional core of lively, succulent fruit. Concluding with a long, expansive finish, it’s a remarkable young Pauillac that will offer many years of thrilling drinking. Congratulations to Nicolas Glumineau and his team, who are ushering in a new golden age at an address where standards were always very high.
Anticipated maturity: 2027-2065
JancisRobinson.com 17
71% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc. More leafy than most of the Pauillacs in this small selection, very much what I expect from Comtesse. Dry, firm, elegant texture, really elegant in its dry finesse. Very cassis-focused, dry and refined. (JH)
Anticipated maturity: 2030-2045
