Description
Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande (commonly referred to as Pichon Lalande or Pichon Comtesse) is a winery in the Pauillac appellation of the Bordeau region of France. Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande is also the name of the red wine produced by this property. The wine produced here was classified as one of fifteen Deuxièmes Crus (Second Growths) in the original Bordeau Wine Official Classification of 1855. While the winery was once known for its higher percentage of Merlot and lower percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon in its blends, the vineyard started to move towards blends more consistent with other wines from the Pauillac region, with recent vintages being between 70-75% Cabernet Sauvignon. The second wine is called Pichon Comtesse-Réserve.Château Pichon. Comtesse was once part of the larger Pichon estate, owned by Pierre de Rauzan, along with what today is Château Pichon Longueville Baron. In 1850, the estate was divided into the two current Pichon estates. In 1925, Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande was bought by Edouard Miailhe and Louis Miailhe. The daughter of Edouard Miailhe, May Eliane de Lencquesaing (born in 1926) later became the owner and manager of the property. In 2006, de Lencquesaing sold a majority interest in the Château to the Rouzaud family, which also owns the Champagne house Louis Roederer.
Tasting Notes
The 2008 is a beauty in the style of the 1988. Although not performing as well as I predicted last year, it is unquestionably an outstanding effort as well as one of the better values from Pichon Lalande in many years. Its dense plum/purple hue is accompanied by sweet aromas of red and black currants, charcoal, herbs, underbrush and a hint of truffles. This medium-bodied, rich, concentrated blend of 63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot and 3% Cabernet Franc is an elegant, supple Pichon Lalande that can be drunk now or cellared for 15-20 years. [92 Points, Robert M. Parker, Jr.– May 2011, robertparker.com]
