Réserve de la Comtesse - Château Pichon Longueville - Pauillac 2009

Wine Advocate

89 / 100

byNeal Martinthe1/1/2013

Served blind at the Southwold 2009 tasting. The Reserve de la Comtesse '09 is very rich and quite heady on the nose: mulberry and dark plum. The palate is medium-bodied with slushy tannins. It is smudged but generous with a rounded plumy finish. This is more approachable and easy-drinking than I expected. Tasted January 2013.

Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar

89 / 100

byStephen Tanzerthe7/31/2012

Bright, medium ruby-red. Aromas of black raspberry, smoked meat, licorice and herbs. Ripe and serious for a second wine, offering nicely concentrated, lively flavors of currant, dark raspberry, spices, herbs and licorice. Finishes with plenty of dusty tannins and very good grip and verve.

Wine Spectator

91 / 100

byJames Molesworththe3/31/2012

Bright and sappy, with kirsch and damson plum notes streaking along, followed by tangy iron and floral notes alongside. There's good zip and cut along the finish, with a lingering mineral edge. Best from 2013 through 2023. 21,665 cases made. –J

Wine Advocate

91 / 100

byRobert Parkerthe2/29/2012

Made from a blend of 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 38% Merlot and the rest Cabernet Franc, the second wine, the 2009 Reserve de la Comtesse, exhibits notes of forest floor, white chocolate, licorice, black currants and vanillin-infused black cherries. It possesses a sweet, round, generous style given its high glycerin. Both the Reserve de la Comtesse and Pichon Lalande have about 13% alcohol, slightly lower than most Pauillacs achieved in 2009. Drink it over the next 10 years.

Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar

87-89 / 100

byIan D'Agatathe6/30/2010

Le Figaro

89-91 / 100

byBernard Burtschythe6/30/2010

Second vin de Pichon-Lalande. Robe grenat. Nez intense de fruits rouges. En bouche, l’attaque est dense, elle est suivie d’un beau moelleux, le tout est assez tannique, très fruits rouges. 53 % cabernet-sauvignon, 38 % merlot, 9 % cabernet-franc.

Le Point

15 / 20

byJacques Dupontthe5/6/2010

38% merlot, 53% cabernet sauvignon, 9% cabernet franc. Fruits noirs, dense, moelleux, merlot assez mûr, rond, bien gourmand. O=2013 G=10 ans

Wine Advocate

88-90 / 100

byNeal Martinthe4/30/2010

For the vintage, this Reserve as an exuberant, most approachable nose with red-berries, kirsch, graphite, sous-bois and cigar box. Very Pauillac. Moderate definition, actually closing up a little in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with firm tannins, lots of tobacco/cigar box flavours infusing the black, dusky fruit. Nicely balanced, if just a little too conservative towards the austere, smoky finish. Tasted March 2010.

Wine Advocate

91-93 / 100

byRobert Parkerthe4/28/2010

The finest second wine they have made, the 2009 Reserve de Comtesse is composed of 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 38% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc. Flavorful and full-bodied with loads of texture and opulence, it offers up aromas of forest floor and black fruits. The surprisingly high tannin level is barely noticeable given the sweetness of the fruit and abundant glycerin. Nevertheless, the 13% alcohol is right in line with that of the Pichon Lalande. Drink the Reserve de Comtesse over the next 10-15 years. (Tasted once.) Like most Medoc chateaux, Pichon Lalande began their harvest on September 22, and finished on October 7. Drink 2010-2025. (91-93*) points

Periodic Review of Wine

88-90 / 100

byAlan Duranthe4/28/2010

The Reserve will offer gobs of succulent fruit. Its opaque ruby-purple color precedes scents of pencil shavings, spring flower, berry, and crème de cassis. There is a medium to full-body, a generous style to the overall personality, ripe cherry/blackberry fruit, and caressing tannins. It is well-made and ripe with nothing out of place. Maturity period 2013-2021.

Wine Spectator

88-91 / 100

byJames Sucklingthe4/9/2010

Currants and flowers on the nose. Dried spices as well. Full-bodied, with silky yet chewy tannins and a long finish. Dense and solid. Second wine of Pichon-Lalande.

Decanter Magazine

17 / 20

bySteven Spurrierthe4/9/2010

Black red, big smoky wild violets nose, seductive fruit , fleshy and lifted, a really lovely Saint-Julien style Pauillac, all of a piece. Drink 2014-22.

Jancis Robinson

16,5 / 20

byJancis Robinsonthe4/7/2010

Dark crimson. Very fragrant. Lifted, luscious and lively. Relatively light bodied and flirtatious. More transparent than most 2009s. Just a bit angular and sinewy. Fades just a little fast. Drink 2015-2023