Pichon Comtesse de Lalande - Pauillac 2019

Jeb DUNNUCK

99 / 100

byJeb Dunnuckthe4/12/2022

Pure class, the 2019 Château Pichon-Longueville Comtesse De Lalande is another brilliant wine from director Nicolas Glumineau that checks in at the top of the vintage. A blend of 71% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, and 6% Cabernet Franc that was harvested from mid-September through October 8th. Brought up in roughly 60% new French oak, it hit 14.1% natural alcohol with a pH of 3.7. More elegant and poised from bottle than barrel, it offers a brilliant perfume of crème de cassis, lead pencil shavings, tobacco leaf, damp earth, and graphite. Deep, full-bodied, and pure perfection on the palate, it has this incredible marriage of Latour-like stature and regalness buffered by wonderful, sexy, seamless fruit, which no doubt comes from the higher Merlot content and makes Comtesse de Lalande so singular and unique. It builds slowly with time in the glass and has remarkable purity of fruit, ultra-fine tannins, perfect balance, and a finish that just begs you to pour another glass. It has a seductive, seamless profile that offers pleasure even today (although it needs lots of air to show at its best) yet needs 7-8 years of bottle age to hit the early stages of its prime drink window and will evolve for another 40-50 years if stored properly.

Wine Advocate

98 / 100

byWilliam Kelleythe4/7/2022

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.

Vinous

98 / 100

byAntonio Gallonithe2/28/2022

One of the most elegant Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande I can remember tasting. The 2019 Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande is very clearly one of the wines of the year. Statuesque in its bearing, the 2019 possesses tremendous depth and intensity right out of the gate. Dark fruit, gravel, smoke, licorice and incense draw the taster in. The 2019 is like a great book. You don't want to put it down. Each taste reveals a new layer, a new shade of nuance. The 2019 is quite simply one of the most elegant renditions I have tasted recently. That said, it is also incredibly austere and in need of cellaring. Don't miss it. Tasted three times.

Vinous

98 / 100

byAntonio Gallonithe2/24/2022

One of the most elegant Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande I can remember tasting. The 2019 Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande is very clearly one of the wines of the year. Statuesque in its bearing, the 2019 possesses tremendous depth and intensity right out of the gate. Dark fruit, gravel, smoke, licorice and incense draw the taster in. The 2019 is like a great book. You don't want to put it down. Each taste reveals a new layer, a new shade of nuance. The 2019 is quite simply one of the most elegant renditions I have tasted recently. That said, it is also incredibly austere and in need of cellaring. Don't miss it. Tasted three times.

Vinous

99 / 100

byNeal Martinthe2/17/2022

The sample of 2019 Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande sent to me last year was an absolute show-stopper. The bouquet needs a few minutes to open up, delivering intense black fruit, crushed stone and incense with time in the glass. Yes, the nose does remind me of Latour! The medium-bodied palate is endowed with unerring symmetry and poise. This is a powerful, multi-dimensional Pichon-Lalande, extremely precise, very deep and long. The 60% new oak is seamlessly integrated and feels just right. It reminds me of the 1996 in some ways, but with more finesse on the finish. Stunning. 14.12% alcohol

Wine Advocate

97-99 / 100

byLisa Perrotti-Brownthe7/15/2020

A blend of 71% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot and 6% Cabernet Franc (with no Petit Verdot this year), the 2019 Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande came in at an alcohol of 14.15% and a pH of 3.7. Medium to deep garnet-purple in color, it sails out of the glass with a stunning array of Black Forest cake, warm cassis and wild blueberries scents with underlying hints of Morello cherries, redcurrant jelly, pencil shavings, menthol and aniseed with a touch of charcoal. The medium-bodied palate packs a lot of fruit into an elegant package, featuring very finely grained, silt-like tannins and seamless freshness, finishing long with loads of lingering mineral and exotic spice accents.

WeinWisser

20 / 20

the7/7/2020

Bettane & Desseauve

97 / 100

by Bettane & Desseauvethe7/3/2020

18,5

WeinWisser

99-100 / 100

the6/19/2020

Yvesbeck.wine

98-99 / 100

byYves Beckthe6/19/2020

P ichon Comtesse assume complètement son cépage maitre : le Cabernet Sauvignon. Il nous rappelle, avec un style imposant, que les notes dites « végétales » peuvent clairement être positivées ! Quelle fraîcheur et quelle authenticité. Notes fruitées intenses avec des parfums de cassis, de myrtilles et de rafraîchissantes notes d'eucalyptus. En bouche le vin confirme les
aptitudes du nez ; il est ample, friand, puissant, séduisant et compact. Juteux et suave grâce aux tannins friands et à la structure racée. Dans cette succession logique, la finale ne peut qu'être intensément fruitée et persistante. Un Pichon Comtesse aux nombreuses facettes qui incarne plusieurs traits de caractère puisqu'il est puissant, subtile, élégant et racé ! Un cancre discipliné en quelque sorte.

Anthocyanes

97-98 / 100

byYohan Castaingthe6/19/2020

L e bouquet de Pichon Comtesse 2019 est racé et délicat, légèrement fumé et graphite, très fruits noirs dans la profondeur, complexe et élégant à la fois avec une fraicheur mentholée et un peu cassis très émotionnelle. Bouche charnue, des tanins veloutés et structurants, un équilibre parfait avec une construction sur la rondeur, le satiné et la précision. Quelle tension en milieu de bouche. Très pur et cristallin. Un grand Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande qui fera date, l’un des plus aboutis de ces dernières années. Bravo! Pourrait prétendre à la note maximale après les élevages.

Wine Enthusiast

97 / 100

the6/19/2020

B arrel Sample. This is a stylish wine that offers rich, smoky tannins and layers of black
currant fruits. The tannins are dominant at this stage of barrel aging but the intense fruits are
intent on pushing forward. The beautiful aftertaste is all freshness as well as density. It's for long-term aging.

Le Figaro

18,5 / 20

the6/19/2020

O n adore ce cru tout en souplesse brodé de tannins soyeux, doté d’une formidable  complexité aromatique.

Vinous

95-97 / 100

byAntonio Gallonithe6/18/2020

The 2019 Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande evokes a feeling of real power and breadth, with tons of energy giving the wine drive that builds into the finish. Time in the glass brings out the aromatic intensity of the Cabernets. Dark fruit, menthol, rose petal, licorice and grilled herbs all flesh out over time. The 2019 Pichon Comtesse is a very serious wine that almost certainly has more to say than it is willing to express at this stage. Tasted two times. General Manager and Winemaker Nicolas Glumineau describes 2019 as a year of drought, until rains arrived at the end of July and middle of August, which were very important for the maturation of the Cabernets in mid-October. Yields were 42 hectoliters per hectare, which is typical for the château. Glumineau added that the Merlots showed a wider range of quality, while the Cabernets were more homogeneous. In tasting, I found the two wines more differentiated stylistically, which has not often been the case.

Vinous

98-100 / 100

byNeal Martinthe6/16/2020

The 2019 Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande was picked 16 September to 8 October. It has a showstopping nose: intense black fruit laced with graphite and mint. (Whisper it...it reminds me of their First Growth next door neighbor.) The palate is underpinned by very refined tannins that cradle what may well be the purest fruit you will find in this vintage. Unbelievably precise all the way through to the finish, I admit staring at my glass trying to find fault with it. Unless winemaker Nicolas Glumineau gets distracted by the new Cure album and makes a catastrophic error during the rest of its élevage, which he is not prone to doing, you are not looking at a modern-day 1982 or 2016, but something even better and more profound. Tasted from three bottles with consistent notes.

The Wine Cellar Insider

98-100 / 100

byJeff Levethe6/10/2020

With a complex nose of mint, tobacco leaf, roses, spice, crème de cassis, blackberry, cigar box and spice box, everything is off to a good start. On the palate, the wine is pure silk and velvet. Rich, full-bodied and concentrated, the decadently textured finish, with all its multiple layers of sweet fruits, spice and tobacco stay with you for close to 50 seconds. Comparing the 2016, 2018 and 2019 side by side is going to be an incredible experience over the next several decades. The wine combines 71% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc reaching 14.1% alcohol with a pH of 3.7. Picking took place September 16-October 8 with yields of 42 hectoliters per hectare. The Grand Vin was made from 50% of the harvest. 98-100 Pts

Jamessuckling.com

98-99 / 100

byJames Sucklingthe6/4/2020

Crazy aromas of sweet tobacco and black fruit. Tar and lead pencil, too. Blackcurrants and blackberries. Solid core of fruit and ripe tannins here. It's full-bodied and chewy. Extremely long. Fascinating wine. Structure with elegance.

Decanter.com

98 / 100

byJane Ansonthe6/4/2020

A serious, muscled Pichon Comtesse that grabs you from the first nose. The width and texture is evident, feeling both more plush and supple in its fruit character. It's elegant and balanced but packed full of textured raspberries, blueberries and cassis, juicy, with a rise on the finish and clear tannic grip. Very Pauillac in style, more so than the 2018 with great length. Not as structured as the 2016 or the 2010 but not far off and this is easily one of the wines of the vintage. Its heft shares some similarities to its neighbour Latour, which is not always the case in this most feminine of Pauillac wines. Closes down pretty quickly on the finish, suggesting the initial rich fruit is a hint of what is to come but that it will take its time to show itself in bottle. Tasted twice, four weeks apart and it delivered both times. No Petit Verdot in this vintage. Drinking Window 2027 - 2040

Jean-Marc QUARIN

97 / 100

byJean-Marc Quarinthe5/20/2020

C ouleur sombre, intense, profonde et pourpre. Nez très aromatique, fin, fruité, pur, subtil et noble. Minutieux dès l'attaque et immédiatement parfumé, avec un milieu de bouche riche et fondant, redoublé d'énormément de goût, le vin glisse au palais, ravissant, avant de s'achever sur une longueur complexe et un si bel équilibre dans la stimulation. Bravo ! Assemblage : 71 % cabernet sauvignon, 23 % merlot, 6 % cabernet franc. Il n'y a pas de petit verdot cette année à Pichon Comtesse.

The World of Fine Wines

93-95 / 100

byMichael Schusterthe5/13/2020

A deep, tight, blackcurrant and gravelaroma’d nose; full, fresh, concentrated, firmly and
finely tannic; rich and fleshy, very ripely, almost juicily flavored, with a wonderful cassis fruit-core, all tautened and brought into focus by the fresh acidity and subtle aromatic complexity; long and complex and mouthcoating, deliciously fine and seductive in texture, and with very fine length; a beautiful, gentle power, effortlessly delivered. Particularly seductive class.