Pichon Comtesse de Lalande - Pauillac 2014

Vinous

94

par Neal Martin le 02/04/2024

The 2014 Pichon Comtesse de Lalande has a gorgeous bouquet with a mixture of red and black fruit, scents of pencil box and wild hedgerow, gaining intensity in the glass. It is a little more opulent than the Pichon Baron. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-grain tannins, silky smooth in texture, moving discretely towards secondary flavors. However, the finish is brighter than many of its peers. Excellent. Tasted at Bordeaux Index's 10-Year On tasting and blind at the Southwold 10-Year On.

Vinous

95

par Neal Martin le 28/03/2018

The 2014 Pichon Lalande has the edge over Pichon Baron a few months ago. It is a tight race but here Pichon Lalande edges it. It has a wonderful, complex, intense bouquet with blackberry, briary, graphite and mint – just a straight-down-the-line Pauillac with all the aristocratic flair you look for. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, layers of pure black fruit laced with graphite and mint. It is blessed with a satin-like texture, not a hair out of place from start to finish, with a long, persistent aftertaste that completes a fabulous wine for the vintage. Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting.

Jeb DUNNUCK

95

par Jeb Dunnuck le 30/11/2017

Showing the hallmark elegance and seductiveness of this terrific estate, the 2014 Pichon Longueville Comtesse De Lalande is deeply colored (especially in the vintage) and delivers a heavenly bouquet of crème de cassis, ripe plums, graphite, cedar pencil, roasted coffee, and tons of building minerality and liquid rock-like nuances. Incredibly pure, textured, full-bodied, and with a seamless integration of its fruit, tannin, and acidity, it’s already approachable but will keep for two to three decades.

Vinous

97

par Antonio Galloni le 20/10/2017

One of the highlights in a dark horse vintage for Bordeaux, the 2014 Pichon Lalande is absolutely exquisite. Aromatic and silky on the palate, with bright, finely sculpted fruit and mid-weight structure, the 2014 is a picture-perfect example of the best 2014 has to offer. I have always adored the 2014 Pichon Lalande. This tasting only serves to reinforce that feeling. Ideal conditions in September extended the harvest and yielded perfumed, silky wines.

Wine Advocate

93

par Neal Martin le 31/03/2017

The 2014 Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande has an expressive bouquet with lively blackberry, cedar, flint and graphite aromas that are not powerful, yet display admirable precision. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin, the Merlot content lending this Pauillac its trademark fleshiness and roundness, yet there is clearly structure here (not always a trait of this Pauillac growth). It will develop more complexity and personality with bottle age, but at the moment you can sit back and just admire the cohesion and superb length. Winemaker Nicolas Glumineau has overseen a quite wonderful Pichon-Lalande, one with inbuilt longevity.

Jamessuckling.com

93

par James Suckling le 16/02/2017

Aromas of cassis bush and shaved chocolate with berries. Full body, velvety-textured tannins and a long and flavorful finish. Tangy undertones with fresh acidity. Drink in 2020.

Vinous

97

par Antonio Galloni le 06/02/2017

The wonderfully nuanced, finessed 2014 Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande exudes pedigree. Crème de cassis, licorice, lavender, licorice and sweet spices are front and center, while beams of supporting tannins and acidity give the wine its energy and overall tension. All of the elements are simply in the right place. Powerful and also remarkably delicate, the 2014 Pichon Comtesse might very well be the wine of the vintage on the Left Bank. Don't miss it! Tasted three times.

Wine Enthusiast

94

par Roger Voss le 02/02/2017

Warm and ripe, this is a beautifully balanced wine. It is packed with black-currant fruits that are bursting out of the glass. A darker side comes with the tannins and new wood flavors that are still prominent. It looks likely the wine will develop slowly, so don't drink before 2025.

Wine Spectator

94

par James Molesworth le 04/01/2017

Very solid, with lots of cassis bush and sweet tobacco notes adding texture to the core of crushed ripe raspberry, blackberry and plum fruit flavors. A licorice snap accent dances throughout, while a bolt of iron runs underneath. This is Pauillac. Best from 2020 through 2035.—J.M.

Le Point

17-17,5

par Jacques Dupont le 21/05/2015

Nez cassis, fruits noirs, bouche souple, ronde, moelleuse, bien fruitée, délicate, tendue mais fine, pauillac avec de la douceur. Très belle qualité des tanins qui se resserrent en finale. 

Vinous

93-96

par Antonio Galloni le 11/05/2015

The 2014 Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande is a huge wine. Rich, powerful and dense, yet remarkably precise, the 2014 boasts extraordinary density and fabulous balance. Scents of black fruits, graphite, smoke, tobacco, grilled herbs and incense meld into a huge core of fruit. Hints of black cherry jam, wild flowers and mint add an attractive aromatic top register on the close. Explosive and virile in style, the 2014 appears to have the pedigree to age well for several decades. It is without question one of the wines of the year. The blend is 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc and 6% Petit Verdot.

The Wine Cellar Insider

93-95

par Jeff Leve le 05/05/2015

This is precisely what I’m looking for in a Pichon Lalande, silken and velvety tannins with a concentration and richness of ripe dark berries, chocolate and black cherries. This wine has length, polish, freshness and sensuous textures. A blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc and 6% Petit Verdot, the wine reached 13.2% alcohol, with a pH of 3.7 and was produced with 50% of the harvest. 93-95 Pts

Wine Advocate

93-95

par Neal Martin le 30/04/2015

The Château Pichon-Lalande 2014 is a blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc and 6% Petit Verdot picked over five weeks between 16 September and 20 October. It has a very pure and precise bouquet with a light marine influencing the black cherries and blueberry fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with a tense, graphite-tinged opening, a fine line of acidity (pH 3.72) and a silky smooth finish. The Cabernet Sauvignon is very expressive and dominates the Merlot at the moment, although the Merlot is essentially counterbalancing what might have been a much more austere Pichon-Lalande. Under Nicolas Glumineau, this Pauillac estate is really beginning to "motor" and this is an excellent wine, one within touching distance of the First Growths.

Asian Palate

94-95

par Jeannie Cho Lee MW le 20/04/2015

A beautiful, layered Pichon Lalande with wonderful freshness and classic floral and cedar notes. This is a supple, balanced wine that has the power to age and evolve but will show well even in its youth. Layered and elegant with all four of the varieties adding something to the blend: 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc and 6% Petit Verdot.

Jancis Robinson

17

par Jancis Robinson le 17/04/2015

65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc, 6% Petit Verdot. Up to 60% new oak. Very opulent nose. But as though all the effort has been put into the rather exotic perfume. Then quite vigorous and chewy. Rich and glamorous.  13.3%Drink 2025-2040

Decanter.com

17,5

par Steven Spurrier le 17/04/2015

Lovely fragrant cassis fruit – quite feminine compared to Pichon-Baron. Though it lacks the depth of some, it is beautifully balanced and a very classy wine. Drink: 2019-2030 (91)

Jamessuckling.com

93-94

par James Suckling le 10/04/2015

What a joy to feel the ultra-fine tannins in this wine! It really is like touching fine silk. It’s full-bodied with integrated drip fruit of tar, blackberries, minerals as well as a compacted and very long finish. Polished texture. Strong elegance. Reminds me of some outstanding wines of the 1980s such as 1986.

timatkin.com

95

par Tim Atkin MW le 07/04/2015

René Gabriel

20

par René Gabriel le 01/04/2015

65 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 22 % Merlot, 7 % Cabernet Franc, 6 % Petit Verdot. Extrem dunkles Purpur mit lila und violetten Reflexen. Das Bouquet ist zu Ausflippen. Da sind viele reife, dunkle Pflaumen, Cassis, Black Currant, Lakritze, schwarzer Pfeffer, schwarze Oliven und Pumpernickelbrot. Das Nasenbild zeigt eine unglaubliche Tiefe, ist dabei absolut royal und erhaben. Ich habe ihn rund fünf Minuten nasal verfolgt, bevor ich den ersten Schluck probierte. Im Gaumen voller Harmonie, füllig, cremig, samtig mit gebündeltem, extrem langem und auch gewaltig druckvollen Finale. Es gibt also zwei gute Nachrichten. Erstens, ist das wieder ein sensationeller Pichon-Lalande (wie sein 2013er!). Und zweitens; diesmal gibt es recht viel davon. Nicolas Glumineau spricht nämlich von einer fast normalen Ernte. Wer heuer gar keinen Primeur macht, der wird die Chance auf einen veritablen Nachfolger vom legendären 1982er verpassen! 20/20 2020 – 2048

Wine Spectator

92-95

par James Molesworth le 30/03/2015

Vibrant, with a blaze of iron running from start to finish, while dark currant, cherry and plum fruit forms the core. The long,grippy, integrated finish shows excellent vivacity.